Purest of All
by PhoenixFlame123
Summary: Everything they knew was a lie. Their past; their family; their very selves; all lies told to them to keep them safe. But now all that Fernpaw, Wolfpaw, Blazepaw, and Bristlepaw love is in danger. Can they defeat the darkness of light? T for safety.
1. Allegiances and Pro1

**I do not own the Warriors series. I do own all my characters, Clan names, and the plot idea, as well as the prophecy.**

**-FlameClan-**

**Leader: **Aspenstar (beautiful light brown tabby she-cat with pale green eyes)

**Deputy: **Lightstep (pale white tom with amber eyes)

**Medicine Cat: **Moonshadow (black she-cat with white paws, tail-tip and muzzle and deep blue eyes)

[Apprentice: Bramblepaw]

**Warriors**

Pinefreeze (dark brown tom with icy blue eyes)

Emberblaze (dark ginger tom with green eyes)

Swanfeather (white she-cat with emerald green eyes)

Shadowstorm (black tom with dark blue eyes)

Honeyflower (lovely auburn she-cat with amber eyes)

Hollyshade (light gray she-cat with amber eyes)

Darknight (black tom with pale blue eyes)

Eaglesoar (dark tabby tom with many scars; dark brown eyes)

Tigergrowl (light tabby tom with green eyes)

[Apprentice: Dewpaw]

Brackenstorm (tabby tom with amber eyes)

Stormblaze (dark gray tabby tom with amber eyes)

Crowbreeze (dark gray she-cat with blue eyes)

[Apprentice: Frostpaw]

Heatherwhisker (brown she-cat with blue eyes)

Frostflower (tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes)

Graypelt (gray tom with green eyes)

Featherstripe (light gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes)

**Apprentices**

Bramblepaw (beautiful tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes) Mentor: Moonshadow

Dewpaw (blue-gray she-cat with amber eyes) Mentor: Tigergrowl

Frostpaw (dark ginger tom with green eyes) Mentor: Crowbreeze

**Queens/Kits**

Amberblaze (light amber she-cat with blue eyes] Mate: Lightstep

Kits: Lionkit (golden-brown tom with blue eyes), Fernkit (black she-cat with emerald green eyes), Mosskit (blue-gray she-cat with amber eyes)

Blueflash (blue-gray she-cat with amber eyes) Mate: Emberblaze

Kits: Yellowkit (yellowish-ginger tom with blue eyes), Owlkit (tabby tom with green eyes)

**Elders**

Gingerfrost (ginger she-cat with blue eyes)

Ivybreeze (pale gray she-cat with white eyes [blind])

**-ShadeClan-**

**Leader: **Lilystar (white she-cat with deep, emerald green eyes)

**Deputy: **Fallentree (tabby tom with amber eyes)

**Medicine Cat: **Stonefeather (gray tabby tom with pale gray eyes)

**Warriors**

Coldbreeze (white tom with icy blue eyes)

Leafstripe (light tabby she-cat with amber eyes)

Kestrelflight (black tom with forest green eyes)

Nightshadow (black tom with grey eyes)

Jaywind (pale ginger tom with light blue eyes)

Whitefrost (white tom with amber eyes)

**Apprentices**

Flamepaw (ginger tom with blue eyes)

Snowpaw (white she-cat with blue eyes)

**Queens/Kits**

Dovefeather (white she-cat with blue eyes)

Kits: Dustkit (brown tom with blue eyes) Bristlekit (tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes)

**Elders**

Redstorm (reddish-brown tom with amber eyes)

Breezewhisker (grayish-white tom with pale gray eyes)

**-StoneClan-**

**Leader: **Thunderstar (silver tom with black tabby stripes and deep blue eyes)

**Deputy: **Silversnow (silver-white she-cat with green eyes)

**Medicine Cat: **Berryfire (dusty brown tom with amber eyes)

**Warriors**

Firestorm (dark ginger tom with amber eyes)

Robinwing (black she-cat with blue eyes)

Volewhisker (light brown tom with amber eyes)

Lionleap (golden tom with blue eyes)

Mousewhisker (brown she-cat with green eyes)

Swiftstride (white tom with blue eyes)

Darknight (black tom with dark gray eyes)

Wispfeather (light gray she-cat with light amber eyes)_

**Apprentices**

Windpaw (white tom with blue eyes) Mentor: Silversnow

Juniperpaw (brown she-cat with amber eyes) Mentor: Firestorm

Softpaw (soft white she-cat with gentle blue eyes) Mentor: Robinwing

**Queens/Kits**

Squirrelwhisker (light brown she-cat with blue eyes) Mate: Swiftstride

Kits: Tinykit (black she-cat with amber eyes), Sunkit (amber-brown tom with blue eyes), Wolfkit (gray tom with dark brown eyes)

**Elders**

Blacknight (black tom with amber eyes)

Longpath (gray tom with green eyes)

**-MarshClan-**

**Leader: **Ravenstar (black tom with amber eyes)

**Deputy: **Faintwing (light gray tabby she-cat with amber eyes)

**Medicine Cat: **Goldensky (ginger she-cat with green eyes)

**Warriors**

Falconwing (dark brown tabby tom with blue eyes)

Smallwhisker (light gray she-cat with green eyes)

Tallfrost (ginger tom with white paws and green eyes)

Chilltrickle (dark gray tom with blue eyes)

PondRipple (blue-gray she-cat with green eyes)

Skyfall (blue-gray she-cat with amber eyes)

Shrewnose (light brown tom with amber eyes)

Cloudwing (white she-cat with blue eyes)

**Apprentices**

Breezepaw (white tom with blue eyes)

Kestrelpaw (dark tabby tom with green eyes)

**Queens/Kits**

Flamestripe (ginger tabby she-cat with blue eyes) Mate: Chilltrickle

Kits: Blazekit (ginger tom with blue eyes)

**The Pure Ones (Not a Clan)**

Leader: Kestian (white she-cat with sharp emerald eyes)

Second: Scragg (white tom with dark blue eyes)

**Fighters (fighters must have mostly white-colored pelts):**

Tallion (white she-cat with deep blue eyes)

Hadas (white tom with violent-amber eyes)

Pine (white tom with pale blue eyes)

Frost (white tom with amber eyes)

Snow (white she-cat with forest-green eyes)

Esparian (white tom with amber eyes)

Dallas (white she-cat with white eyes)

Bianco (handsome white tom with blue eyes)

Blanc (white tom with green eyes)

Lark (white she-cat with amber eyes)

Fortis (large white tom with dull gray eyes)

Echo (almost-gray white she-cat with amber eyes)

Stultas (small white she-cat with blue eyes)

Swindle (white tom with minimal orange markings and blue eyes)

**Bringers (Queens):**

Gravida (beautiful white she-cat with gray eyes)

**Kittens:**

Mud (brown tom with large brown eyes) [Mother: Tallion. Father: Bianco. Sister: Raene. Brother: Eagle.]

Raene (white she-cat with blue eyes) [Mother: Tallion. Father: Bianco. Brothers: Mud and Eagle.]

Eagle (white tom with amber eyes) [Mother: Tallion. Father: Bianco. Sister: Raene. Brother: Mud.]

**Unpures [Colors lighter than brown/black but darker than white, used for breeding to make kittens]**

Forgotten (light brown tabby she-cat with pale blue eyes)

Blaze (ginger she-cat with blue eyes)

Whisper (light gray she-cat with amber eyes)

Frost (mousey-brown she-cat with amber eyes)

Ice (gray she-cat with amber eyes)

**Slaves (pelts colored darker brown to black)**

Larria (small tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes)

Takilla (black tom with amber eyes)

Blackest (black she-cat with blue eyes)

Strata (dark tabby tom with amber eyes)

**-Prologue #1-**

The tom with the pelt of flame paused, leaf-green eyes searching his comrades. "It's time," he murmured, claws extending into the ground.

"They've come again?" the stone gray tom shivered.

"Yes, and even stronger than before. We can't save them this time. The Clans need to help themselves," said the she-cat with the black pelt, staring at her paws fiercely.

"But we can give them help," the tortoiseshell said quietly, eyes smoldering with love for her Clan.

"Yes," said the first tom, looking down at the Clans sleeping peacefully below, "Yes, we can."

**I basically updated that to satisfy those hounding after me about "no allegiances". It doesn't contribute a lot to the plot but technically it's story content. **


	2. Prologue

**I do not own Warriors. I do, however, own my characters, the Clan names, and the prophecy.**

_"They got away."_

The growl emitted from the cave's entrance as three large white toms entered, lips drawn back to show glistening white fangs. They padded into the camp's center, feeling the harsh gaze of the cats sitting in clusters around them. The half-moon shone above them, illuminating the cave slightly.

A white she-cat appeared from the small alcove near the back of the cave, emerald green eyes as sharp as thorns.

"What did you say?"

Her tone was cold, harsh.

The tom in front shivered, feeling his fur bristle. "I... I said, they - the things - got away."

The white she-cat had heard his words perfectly the first time. She was only trying to instill fear into this poor excuse for a pure hunter's heart. This was Kestian's way. Fear was the first step. Pain was the second.

There was no third step.

Besides, of course, death.

Only if needed.

She padded slowly around the toms in a wide circle. "They escaped." Calmly, coldly.

Then she pounced at the front tom, fury and anger exploding in one movement, pinning him to the ground as her unnaturally long thorn-sharp claws sunk into his neck. "They escaped?" she screeched as she felt her claws tear into his flesh.

The tom fell the ground as blood bubbled out of his neck from the wound given to him by Kestian, jerking in his death throes before falling still.

Dead by Kestian.

She removed her now blood-stained paw from his neck, leaning down to whisper in his un-hearing ears.

"Really, Scompara," she whispered, her gaze on his already glazed-over eyes, "I expected more of you. You did know I was planning on making you my second. But this failure... it's too embarrassing. Goodbye, Scompara."

She raised her heads and fixed her emerald eyes on the two remaining toms. "Well? How do you explain this?"

One stepped forward, trying to keep his fear out of his cerulean eyes. "Please, Kestian," he said, "We were no match for them. Three of us against all of them? It was-"

"Wait," Kestian said, cutting him off at the pass. "Who is 'all of them?' "

"They... the Clans," stumbled the tom. "They called themselves the Clans."

Kestian froze, her eyes flickering back and forth before resting on the last tom. "Bianco. Is this true?"

The last white tom paused, then slowly dipped his head. "Yes. The four _things_ each went to a different... er... Clan. They were determined to keep those kits, Kestian. We couldn't stop them if we wanted."

Kestian nodded, slowly. "Of course I understand," she said smoothly, turning her backs to them. Bianco stiffened in surprise. This was not the Kestian she knew.

Kestian drew four circles with her claw in the dirt. "FlameClan, ShadeClan, StoneClan, and MarshClan." One by one she slashed a circle through them. "The things have done us a great good, pure ones. They have brought us to the very cats we have waited for moons to destroy."

She leaped onto the Slashrock, yowling for all to hear. "We will stay strong! And when the time comes - we will destroy the Clans!"

The yowls of approval rang in the cave as Kestian stood above her pure hunters, emerald eyes gleaming viciously as the calls echoed in her ears.

**/\/\/\/\**

**I know it was kind of short, but it's just the start :)**


	3. Unknown but Accepted

**I do not own Warriors. I do, however, own my characters, Clan names, and the prophecy, etc.**

_ The darkness of light will overcome the forest; but to come from the white is to be purest of all._

Aspenstar jerked awake as the words echoed in her ears. She sat, shivering, in her nest for a long beat. The words, uttered by none other than Redstar, her former leader, were obviously something more important than a warning. It was a prophecy. She stood, still trembling, and slipped through the ferns that covered the entrance to her den. It was still night outside, and the tranquility resting over the FlameClan camp was soothing. Calming.

Hollyshade was standing guard over the camp, another comfort to Aspenstar. But an attack from a neighboring Clan, most likely ShadeClan, was not prominent in her mind.

She made her way towards the medicine cat's den, stopping short as she heard mewling coming from the nursery. She poked her head in the den to see it vacated, so she bounded towards the nursery, entering cautiously.

"Good job, Amberblaze. One left." Her medicine cat, Moonshadow, was standing next to a queen, Amberblaze, who was lying on her side, panting in exhaustion. Moonshadow glanced up to see Aspenstar with wearied eyes.

"Just push. One more."

"I... I.. can't. There aren't... any... more..." Amberblaze spluttered.

"Of course there is. One more. And... there." Another kit appeared next to the other two, though Aspenstar noted with curiosity it was not as helpless and mewling as the other two. It seemed almost... _not _newborn.

Amberblaze's eyes clouded with confusion, but she gave no complaint as she reached over and started licking the kits, including the odd one out, motherly instincts taking over.

"They're beautiful, Amberblaze," purred Moonshadow soothingly, "Just beautiful." She joined Aspenstar, who shot the medicine cat a curious glance. "I'll speak to you later," Moonshadow murmured quietly to her leader.

"What will you name them, Amberblaze?" Aspenstar directed the question at the light brown she-cat mothering over the three kits.

Amberblaze looked at her kits – and the odd one out – and gave a soft smile. "Lionkit," she said, tapping the gold-brown tom with her tail-tip, "Mosskit," pointing at the blue-gray she-cat, "and Fernkit," motioning to the black she-cat. Then she fell silent as she mothered and fretted over the kits.

Aspenstar motioned Moonshadow away, outside the nursery, questioning her softly, "What was that all about? There were only two kits..."

The small medicine cat was exhausted. "Long story," she muttered, blinking her eyes wearily. "I... um... found it in a tough situation. I managed to save it from some... not-so-nice cats, we'll say."

Aspenstar's eyes clouded. "I had a dream," she started, and Moonshadow's ears perked.

"It was... from Redstar," continued Aspenstar, naming the former FlameClan leader. "He... it was a prophecy."

Moonshadow's eyes grew wide. "A prophecy," she murmured softly, then snapping back to attention, "Well, what was it?"

Aspenstar cautiously repeated the ominous words that she had received from Redstar.

Moonshadow was quiet, completely baffled by the puzzling words. "StarClan can't take it easy on us, can they," she muttered to herself, the to Aspenstar, "I can't help wondering if the odd kit out has something to do with this."

"I'm almost certain," agreed Aspenstar.

Moonshadow gave a deep sigh. "We'll find out soon enough, I suppose," she said, then, "We had better get some rest." She dipped her head to Aspenstar. " 'night." Then she slipped away to her den.

She was right, of course, but Aspenstar couldn't bring herself to sleep right away. Instead, she sat in camp, gazing up to the stars.

_What did you mean? _she wanted to yowl at Silverpelt. _Give us a hint! Give us another clue!_

But StarClan was silent.

/\/\/\/\

_The darkness of light will overcome the forest; but to come from the white is to be purest of all._

"Well, that makes absolutely zero sense," muttered Lilystar as her deep emerald eyes slowly blinked open. She pulled herself up, seeing that the night had not yet fled. She padded out of her den smoothly, her movements fluid, glancing about her Clan – ShadeClan.

But what was this? From the entrance, her medicine cat Stonefeather appeared. He was carrying a bundle in his jaws, something that looked like a kit, and his gaze was urgent. Lilystar craned to see, but all she saw was a smudge of brown. Stonefeather ducked into the nursery, and Lilystar followed, frowning.

The one queen, Dovefeather, was conversing with her medicine cat. The white she-cat hesitated, then nodded, pulling both of her kits to her. Lilystar blinked – hard. Hadn't Dovefeather had only _one _kit?

Stonefeather felt her gaze and turned, dipping his head. "Lilystar," he mewed quietly, "I found a kit running away from something and brought it here. Dovefeather has kindly agreed to take care of it."

"Which one?" asked Lilystar, craning her neck. Disappointingly, both kits were brown, so she couldn't tell which one she had seen.

Stonefeather stepped in front of her quickly. "If you don't mind, and with all due respect, Lilystar," he murmured, "I prefer only Dovefeather and I know, as to let the kit be treated equally and fairly among the Clan."

Lilystar's eyes flamed. "You dare contradict me?" she hissed, and Stonefeather flinched. Then she let her fur go flat, and she nodded. "I apologize," she said, "you are right. Though you know, the curiosity might be too much to bear." She was being sarcastic. "There is something I need to tell you about, Stonefeather... in private."

The two slipped out of the nursery and to a shadowed corner of the Clan, where Lilystar relayed the prophecy and all she had heard.

"And this was from...?" Stonefeather trailed off.

"Stormshadow," Lilystar, keeping her face incredibly emotionless. "I know, strange that it wasn't a leader or even a medicine cat, but..." she trailed off, blinking hard, and Stonefeather understood. Lilystar would be much more inclined to listen to her deceased mate than a former leader.

"Well," he said, "I... don't know what it means."

"Thank you for the clarification," snapped Lilystar, "That makes me much more confident now." Her eyes gleamed. "Who do you think could be involved?"

Stonefeather was quiet. "_To come from the white..._" he muttered, and Lilystar felt a jolt. Dovefeather was white. Was this the meaning? That Dovefeather's one kit would be the true prophecy kit? But then which one was it? She pawed irritably at her face, frustrated.

"It's too early for this," she growled, pacing. Then she stopped, dipping her head abruptly to Stonefeather. "I suppose we'll find out sooner or later." Then she disappeared without a trace.

Stonefeather sighed deeply, exhaustion crashing in on him like a tidal wave. He hated deceiving his leader about the kit, but he must not let the kit be found out just yet. He padded to his den after taking a look up to StarClan in half-hope.

But only silence came from the stars.

/\/\/\/\

_The darkness of light will overcome the forest; but to come from the white is to be purest __of all._

Thunderstar awoke, abruptly sitting up in his nest. Then he flinched as his mate, Pebblefur, rolled over in her sleep, blinking her eyes open in worry.

"You okay?" she murmured sleepily. "It's not even dawn yet..."

"Yes, I'm fine," murmured Thunderstar, licking her over the ear affectionately. "Go back to sleep. I need to go talk to Berryfire."

Pebblefur's eyes narrowed in suspicion but she said nothing as she fell back into oblivion.

Thunderstar eased out of his nest as to not wake her again, slipping quietly out of his den. His silver-black tabby coat shone in the moonlight, making him look eerily like a StarClan ghost. He shook it free of clingy pieces of moss, sitting and musing over the cryptic words. "_Purest of all..." _Purest? What did being pure have anything to do with it? Pure as in, full-blooded Clan? He shook his head, confused, then picked himself up and padded towards the medicine cat's den. It was vacant, and he narrowed his eyes. Berryfire was probably out on one of his stunts again. The medicine cat tried to hide it from the leader, but Thunderstar knew Berryfire had a less... _real _connection with StarClan than most, and he didn't always act like a medicine cat – going out at nights to do who-knew-what. Thunderstar shuddered.

_Maybe I shouldn't tell Berryfire. _

The thought came startlingly, but after he thought about, it seemed like a good idea. Berryfire wouldn't be able to tell him anything he didn't know, and would probably just dismiss it sooner.

Yes.

He would keep this to himself.

And maybe tell Pebblefur, but that was it.

A mewling came from the entrance, and Thunderstar gave a little start. Firestorm was guarding the entrance, but he gave no sign of hearing, so Thunderstar slipped out with a nod to the senior warrior. The ginger tom dipped his head in return, and Thunderstar padded towards the sound.

He found the source, a tiny kit caught in the brambles. He bounded over, sniffing it cautiously, but its scent was not that of a Clan's. It cried and mewed pitifully, trashing around in the thorns. Thunderstar gently reached down and picked it up by its scruff, causing it to freak out even more. He tried to comfort it, but it continued crying, so he just sped back to camp.

Firestorm watched him curiously but Thunderstar didn't waste time sharing useless words. He instead ran into the nursery, where the queens were sleeping. The only one to have kits at the moment was Squirrelwhisker. He nudged her, and her eyes slowly blinked open to see the leader. They widened when she saw the little bundle of fur in Thunderstar's jaws.

"What-?" she started but Thunderstar interrupted her as he set the kit down.

"I found it outside. It's lost, I think, abandoned. Can you take care of it?" he asked urgently.

She hesitated, then nodded. "I have enough milk." She pulled the little kit closer to her, who immediately calmed down and snuggled up next to her. She gave the kit a soft smile.

"Thank you, Squirrelwhisker," he said gratefully, and slipped out. Perhaps he would make an announcement about the arrival of the kit, but maybe he would just let it grow up... he didn't know for sure.

It was too late for that. The moon and stars above shone at him, and as he looked up at it, he wondered if the new kit would have something to do with the mystic prophecy. He sighed, shaking his head slowly, wondering if the stars would offer him some other kind of guidance.

But no words came from Silverpelt.

/\/\/\/\

_The darkness of light will overcome the forest; but to come from the white is to purest of all._

"No, wait. Come back," Goldensky murmured as her eyes blinked open. It was still night, and the prophecy – for surely, that must be what it was – echoed in her ears. "The darkness of light..." she murmured, sitting up.

This seemed like something that would normally come to a Clan leader, but she knew why StarClan had chosen her, the medicine cat, instead. In Ravenstar's elderly age, his judgement was beginning to be clouded, and the black tom's belief in StarClan was starting to fade. She felt the burden of serving under a faithless leader, but she was still loyal to him – and to MarshClan.

As she padded out of her den slowly, looking around at the darkened camp, she heard the soft sigh of slumbering warriors and smiled gently. She loved her home in the marsh, but she sometimes was very lonely, being the medicine cat and all. She slipped past Shrewnose, who had fallen asleep guarding the camp, picking up her pace as she flew along the marsh, the wind in her fur. She needed to think.

She was startled as she heard a rustling in the bushes, and a small kit appeared in front of her. She stumbled, almost falling on the tiny ginger tom, then stooped to inspect it. It was quiet, looking up at her with a mixture of fright and curiosity.

"Hello, little one," she said softly, and the kit blinked. "I had better take you home."

She lifted it and rushed back to camp, slipping inside the nursery to see Flamestride. The ginger tabby she-cat was asleep, thank StarClan. Her kits had been birthed recently – none had made it. The distraught queen had been given poppy seeds for her to sleep. Goldensky nudged the she-cat, who blinked her eyes open drowsily.

After explaining the predicament to the queen, Flamestride immediately nudged the kit to her belly, who snuggled in like he had always been there. "He will be mine," she purred rustily and she licked the top of his head.

Goldensky smiled, leaving the queen and the kit to sit in the middle of the clearing. Her shoulders slumped. How would she explain this to the Clan? MarshClan was understanding; perhaps they would accept the kit instead of looking at it like an outsider.

She looked up at Silverpelt, begging for answers, for comfort, something more than what they had given her.

But nothing came.

Nothing but silence.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

**I know this chapter was tedious from all the repeating things happening, but I needed to get the point across that each Clan got the prophecy and received a new kit without making it seem rushed.**

** Music listened to while writing this chapter: Breathe by Superchick, Old School by B. Reith, Cross the Line by Superchick **


	4. The Apprentices

**I do not own Warriors; I do, however, own all my OC's, the Clan names and the prophecy.**

**Sorry for taking so long to update! D: I will try to be better about it.**

**~Music listened to while writing: Superchick, Rihanna, Lady Gaga~**

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Fernkit's emerald green eyes blinked open as she sense a disturbance in the nursery.

It was quiet.

_Too _quiet.

"Gotcha!" came a squeal and Fernkit whirled as a bundle of golden fur came flying through the air towards her. She nimble side-stepped the attack and her brother, Lionkit, fell to the ground in a heap.

"Will you _please _quiet down? I'm trying to rest!" came a snap as Fernkit's sister, Mosskit, raised her head in irritation.

"Cranky cat," jabbed Lionkit, and Mosskit glared icy death.

"Kits," came a reproving remark, and Amberblaze sat up, smoothing her brown fur down. "You're almost six moons. If you want to be apprentices, you have to start _acting_ like it."

"Yes, mother," Lionkit and Mosskit chimed, and Fernkit nodded guiltily, feeling a rush of excitement. She couldn't wait to be an apprentice.

Lionkit batted playfully at his black-pelted sister. "One day I'm gonna get you, Fernkit," he said, "If it takes me my whole life!"

Fernkit just flicked him over his nose with his tail, lifting her chin haughtily, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "_Yeah, right," _she seemed to say.

"Like you'll do that when you're a warrior," Mosskit said, her amber eyes rolling as she stood up and joined her siblings. "I swear, Lionkit, I'd _die."_

"Ah, you're no fun," Lionkit said crossly, and Fernkit grinned in agreement.

"Hello," piped a tiny voice, and the three turned to see a tiny tabby tom watching them with large eyes. "Are you warriors?" he asked breathlessly.

Mosskit laughed, and Amberblaze said warmly, "No, Owlkit. They only seem like it."

"Oh," said the nearly-newborn kit. "What're your names?"

"I'm Mosskit," the blue-gray she-cat said, straightening up proudly.

"Lionkit at your service," Fernkit's brother said with a grin, giving a grand bow.

Owlkit looked expectantly at Fernkit, who shifted.

"Oh. That's Fernkit," said Lionkit.

Fernkit smiled at Owlkit, and his eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Why don't you talk?" he asked Fernkit suspiciously. "That's weird. You're weird."

"Owlkit!" came a snap, and the kit lowered his gaze as his mother Blueflash raised her head and sent him a pointed glare. "That's rude!"

"That's okay," Mosskit said, sending a glance Fernkit's way, who looked at the floor.

"But can she talk?" Owlkit persisted, still curious.

"Yeah," Lionkit said gently, "She just doesn't like to."

"Why?"

"It's complicated," Mosskit interrupted, and an awkward silence befell the nursery.

The brambles covering the front of the nursery shifted as a large dark ginger tom appeared, carrying a large rabbit and a mouse in his jaws.

"Emberblaze!" cried the three older kits, scrambling to meet the warrior. Emberblaze was Blueflash's mate, but the best friend of the three older kits. He chuckled through the prey, dropping the fresh-kill.

"A rabbit for Amberblaze and Blueflash, and a mouse for the three kits," he grinned. Fernkit, Mosskit and Lionkit dug into the mouse eagerly as the two queens shared the rabbit. Owlkit and Yellowkit, his sister, were still too little for fresh-kill.

"Don't get all excited now," he told Amberblaze in a low whisper loud enough for Fernkit to hear, "But I heard three special someones are getting their apprentice names today."

Fernkit raised her head, eyes shining, as Lionkit jumped up and down in excitement. "Really?" he cried, then, remembering he was supposed to act grown-up, stopped and said, "Oh, that's wonderful."

Mosskit snorted at his rendition of a senior warrior, but her own brown eyes shone in excitement.

And indeed, there came the traditional call that gave Fernkit a jolt of excitement.

"Let all cats loyal to FlameClan gather below the Hightree for a Clan meeting!"

Amberblaze let out a shriek, rushing forward to groom her kits. Mosskit needed no attention, what with her meticulous habits to keep her pelt clean, but Lionkit and Fernkit were another story. Fernkit squinted as Amberblaze's tongue rasped over her again and again, and pushed away from her mother, trying to keep her pace controlled as she padded out of the nursery for the last time.

Her brother and sister joined her on both sides, and Fernkit led them towards the congregation of cats, the warrior's eyes gleaming as they saw the kits padding out.

_Who will my mentor be?_ Fernkit wondered with a jolt, but she didn't think of it a moment longer as she saw the magnificent tabby figure of Aspenstar on the branch of the Hightree.

"Today is an important day. Three of our own kits are ready to begin their apprenticeships. Lionkit, Mosskit, and Fernkit, please step forward."

Fernkit stepped up as the cats around her parted, heart beating frantically. The presence of her siblings gave her strength.

"Fernkit." Oh, StarClan, she had started with her. What did she have to do again? "You have reached the age of six moons and are ready to become an apprentice. From now until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Fernpaw. Your mentor will be Stormblaze." A young dark gray tabby tom stepped up, his eyes sparkling as he watched Fernpaw. She tried to give him a smile but was too nervous. Then she remembered what she had to do reached up to touch his nose. His eyes were friendly. "We're going to be a great pair," he whispered to her, and she smiled up at him, filled with confidence.

The process was repeated with Lionkit and Mosskit, now known as Lionpaw and Mosspaw. Lionpaw's mentor was Pinefreeze, a dark brown tom, and Mosspaw received Swanfeather as a mentor, a white she-cat that looked eager to train her.

Then the chants started.

"Fernpaw! Lionpaw! Mosspaw! Fernpaw! Lionpaw! Mosspaw!"

Fernpaw stood tall, basking in the moment, but then she saw the medicine cat, Moonshadow, watching her with a strange gaze. When the medicine cat saw the Fernpaw was looking, she quickly looked away, but Fernpaw had caught the glance. What was it?

Suspicion?

She shook away the feeling.

She was an apprentice of FlameClan, and nothing could take that away.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"What if I was a medicine cat's apprentice?"

Bristlekit's brother looked at her, aghast. "But... but you can't!" Dustkit cried, rushing to his sister. "We're going to be warriors together! And fight off all the FlameClan warriors!"

"But the medicine cat is so cool!" Bristlekit tried to explain. "Imagine – getting to _heal_ cats instead of hurting them!"

Dustkit looked at her with a queer expression. Obviously he didn't understand.

"It's... it's too hard to explain," she told him. "But Stonefeather said I had to ask mother, and she was all for it."

"Bristlekit..." he said, eyes hurt.

"Dustkit, don't act so hurt," she said. "We'll still be siblings!"

"Yeah," he sighed, "But it won't be the same."

A call came from the clearing as Lilystar lept onto the Darkrock.

"Cats of ShadeClan, gather before me for a Clan meeting."

Bristlekit trotted out, shooting a concerned glance back at her brother Dustkit, who followed, disappointment gone as he faced the prospect of becoming an apprentice.

As the ceremony commence, Dustkit was made Dustpaw and apprenticed to Lilystar herself. Bristlekit felt a thrill of excitement for her brother as he touched his nose to hers.

Then Stonefeather stepped up. "Cats of ShadeClan," he said, "As you know, I will not be around forever. I have decided to take on an apprentice. Bristlekit, will you please step forward?"

She did, quivering slightly.

"Your name will be Bristlepaw, and I am proud to be able to serve as your mentor," Stonefeather said and touched noses with her. She smiled up at him, and his eyes gleamed.

"You'll have an official ceremony at the half-moon," whispered Stonefeather for only her ears, and she nodded quickly.

Bristlepaw sat down next to her mentor, taking a breath in excitement. She was finally a medicine cat apprentice.

"Bristlepaw! Dustpaw! Bristlepaw! Dustpaw!" the calls echoed over the forest, so loud even MarshClan must have heard it.

As she looked up at the sun that was shedding its golden-red rays over the dark forest as it set, she smiled but also felt an odd twinge. Something felt... wrong. Different. Like she was missing something. She sighed, feeling her claws sink into the earth.

Was StarClan trying to tell her something? Already?

But she shook away the feeling. She was the medicine cat apprentice of ShadeClan, and that was all there was to it.

Wolfkit sighed in contentment as he let his mind wander. The shaggy gray tom with laying outside the nursery, basking in the sun. But his gaze wasn't completely unfocused – it was fixed on one cat.

Softpaw. The name sent chills up his spine. Was it inappropriate for him to think such thoughts when he was only five moons, coming on six, and she was all of ten? Maybe so, but Wolfkit knew one thing – he was in love with her. He watched as she talked with Windpaw, another apprentice, and stifled a growl. She better wait until he was an apprentice. He'd show her that he was a much better pick than _Windpaw._

He heard stifled snickers coming from behind him, and as he turned his head he saw the sharp gazes of his siblings, Sunkit and Tinykit, boring into him.

"Wolfkit and Softpaw, sittin in a tree..."

"Shut up," he growled irritably, narrowing his eyes.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G..."

"I _said _shut up!" he snarled, fur bristling.

Sunkit and Tinykit pranced up, side by side. The two – they were always together. The warriors had warmly nicknamed them the Daring Duo for their crazy adventures and stunts. This, of course, left Wolfkit an outcast, an unwanted scrap of fur that could only watch his sibling's antics and wish to join.

Maybe that was why he liked Softpaw so much. She was the only one who didn't treat him like a piece of mud just brought in from MarshClan territory. He didn't know why others treated him differently. Maybe it was because his siblings were just so... _interesting. _Animated. Likeable, perhaps, should have been the word, while Wolfkit sat in the corner and brooded.

Sunkit gave his brother a tiny smirk. "We know you fancy her. And you're a mouse-brain for it."

"Why would she like _you?" _Tinykit backed him up. "You're a nothing! A nobody!"

Wolfkit's eyes blazed as he glared at them and tried to think of a retort. But he couldn't – because they were right.

"Keep telling yourself you have a chance," smirked Sunkit as he stood over his brother. "Might as well be able to keep hold of your fantasies before they crash into the ground."

"Sunkit! Tinykit! Are you teasing Wolfkit again?"came a sharp call. The duo jumped as Squirrelwhisker appeared from the nursery, narrowing her eyes. They smiled.

"Nope," said Tinykit.

"We _asked_ him if he wanted to play with us, mother," said Sunkit forlornly, "But he just snapped at us."

Squirrelwhisker raised her eyebrow. "Well, you had _all_ better get your act together if you want a chance at becoming apprentices today."

Sunkit and Tinykit let out a squeal of excitement and Wolfkit let his eyes brighten. Maybe as an apprentice, he could approach Softpaw. Try to strike up a conversation.

Squirrelwhisker licked Sunkit over his ear affectionately, and Wolfkit felt jealousy burn inside him. His mother had always favored Sunkit and Tinykit more than he, just like every other cat. But he would show them. He'd be a much better warrior than Sunkit and Tinykit ever would, and then he'd -

"Let all cats old enough to serve StoneClan gather before the Tallstone for a Clan meeting!"

Wolfkit perked his ears as Sunkit and Tinykit immediately stopped their antics and stood tall, watching as their leader, Thunderstar, bounded onto the rock that served as his announcement place. Wolfkit saw warriors shooting affectionate glances Sunkit and Tinykit's way, and a few glanced his way as an afterthought.

"Today, StoneClan will receive three new apprentices," Thunderstar rumbled. His magnificent silver tabby coat shone in the late afternoon sun, and his icy clear blue eyes shone as he watched the three anxious kits – black, ginger, and gray.

"Tinykit, Sunkit, and Wolfkit," Thunderstar said, "Please step forward."

The three approached, Wolfkit trailing behind his siblings, who walked with pelts brushing.

"Sunkit," said Thunderstar warmly, "You have reached the age of six moons and you are ready to become an apprentice of StoneClan. From this day forward, your name will be Sunpaw. Your mentor will be Mousewhisker."

Sunpaw's eyes gleamed as he touched noses with the brown she-cat that padded forward.

"Tinykit, you have reached the age of six moons and you are ready to become an apprentice of StoneClan. From this day forward, your name will be Tinypaw. Your mentor will be Darknight."

Tinypaw touched noses with her mentor. Wolfkit noted idly that both their pelts were black. But now it was his turn. He stood up tall, waiting for the words to come.

"Sunpaw! Tinypaw! Sunpaw! Tinypaw!" Instead came a chant, the chant that always came at the _end. _They had forgotten him! Wolfkit stood, stunned, as the warriors completely ignored the shaggy gray tom standing stricken in the middle as they cheered the new apprentices.

"SILENCE!" came a roar from the Tallstone. The warriors were stunned into silence as Thunderstar glared at them.

"This has gone on long enough," Thunderstar growled. "You _all_ know Wolfkit is still left to be apprenticed. I don't _care_ what you think about them – Wolfkit is just as entitled to apprenticeship as his siblings. You have disgraced StoneClan with your favoritism. I am ashamed. StoneClan is known for their fairness, yet you show Wolfkit little – if any – sympathy. I would have expected more from my warriors. Now, shall I finish the ceremony, or do you think Wolfkit _unfit_?"

Silence ensued. All the warriors hung their heads in shame.

"Wolfkit, from now on you will be Wolfpaw. Since I now trust none of these warriors _fit_ to train you, I will take you as my own apprentice." Wolfpaw felt a jolt of excitement as the silver tabby leaped down from the Tallstone to touch noses with the gray apprentice. The leader looked less than disappointed to be stuck with him. In fact, he looked excited, his deep blue eyes sparkling with amiableness.

"Wolfpaw! Wolfpaw! Wolfpaw!" Now the warriors cheered him, but not as enthusiastically than when Sunpaw and Tinypaw had made their names known.

The warriors dispersed and Wolfpaw found himself standing awkwardly alone, unsure of what to do next. Sunpaw and Tinypaw snickered at him as they passed by, still closer than ever. Wolfpaw felt his lip curl back into a snarl.

They could take away his pride, but they would never take away the fact that he was an apprentice.

/\/\/\/\

"Mom. The nursery is boring."

"Just a few more sunrises and you'll be an apprentice."

"But I'm the only kit here! What am I supposed to do?"

Flamestripe, a tabby ginger she-cat, smiled down at her only son, Blazekit. "Be patient. Ravenstar will make you an apprentice soon."

"Okay," Blazekit mumbled, not one for arguments or complaining. His fiery ginger fur, similar to Flamestripe's except without the tabby stripes, was sticking up all over the place, so his mother leaned down and smoothed it with her tongue. Blazekit didn't try to squirm away, knowing it wouldn't be any use.

"Any _moment_, from what I've heard," came a voice. A gray tom appeared beside Flamestripe, who purred and licked his cheek warmly.

"Hello, Chilltrickle," Blazekit said hopefully, but his father didn't even look at him. He sighed softly.

"Yes. MarshClan is running low on warriors. Only two apprentices in training!" he said in concern. "Hopefully Blazekit will amount to something."

Blazekit flinched.

"Cats of MarshClan, join before me for a Clan meeting."

A rasping voice came from the Grasshill, and Blazekit focused his attention on the elderly black tom that limped up the hill in the center of MarshClan camp. His eyes brightened as he realized what this was about.

"Today we have a new apprentice to name," Ravenstar mewed gruffly, his old age showing immensely. "Blazekit, come forward."

The ginger tom approached, raising his head to look at the leader. All the warriors had trickled out of the dens to gather around, and he padded down the center of the line they had made for him, walking calmly up.

"Blazekit, you have reached the age of six moons and are ready to become apprenticed," rasped Ravenstar. "Your name will be Blazepaw. Your mentor will be Falconwing."

Blazepaw gave a little hop in excitement as Falconwing approached. He touched noses with the dark tabby tom, whose blue eyes sparkled kindly.

"That is all," mumbled Ravenstar, hopping back down the hill.

"Blazepaw! Blazepaw! Blazepaw!" came the calls. Blazepaw stood up proudly, scanning the clearing for his father. He wanted so bad to show that he _wasn't_ useless. But he couldn't locate Chilltrickle, and his heart sunk.

Blazepaw looked at his new mentor, who smiled at him. "So what are we going to do first?" he articulated clearly. Blazepaw had ever been one for "whadda"s or "gonna"s.

"I have to talk to Ravenstar, and then we can go take a look at the territory," said Falconwing as he slipped away.

"Congrats, Blazepaw," said a white tom as he dipped his head.

"Thanks, Breezepaw," said Blazepaw, looking up at the much-older apprentice.

"Whatever you do, don't let Kestrelpaw get to you. He's just a big mouse-brain," whispered Breezepaw confidentially before slipping away. Blazepaw's eyes widened in surprise and he let out an amused purr.

Cats continued to approach him and congratulate him, including, of course, Flamestripe, who looked relieved to be able to get back to her warrior duties. But as Blazepaw waited for the blue-gray tom to come, he found his spirits sinking lower and lower. His father never did appear. He had slipped out of camp right after the ceremony. 'Hunting'.

He sighed, dropping his head slightly as the sun began to set.

But he didn't need his father.

He was a MarshClan apprentice, and that was all that mattered.

/\/\/\/\

**So who's your favorite so far? Silent Fernpaw, cheerful Bristlepaw, outcast Wolfpaw, or intelligent Blazepaw? Tell me below in your review! Hopefully you'll also tell me what you think of the story. In other words, please review! It's not too hard, unless you're lazy. See ya. c:**


	5. Battles and Otherwise

**I do not own Warriors; I do own all my OC's, the Clan names and the prophecy, etc.**

**This chapter is where things start to pick up, so I hope you enjoy. **

**As usual it will go to each Clan, but be warned – some chapters may include one or two or three Clans instead of all. Depends on my mood. And I'm not going to tell you which Clan it is – you have to use your "brain power" by trying to match the cat with the Clan. For those of you who have no memory whatsoever, here it is:**

**Fernpaw – FlameClan**

**Bristlepaw – ShadeClan**

**Wolfpaw – StoneClan**

**Blazepaw – MarshClan**

**-Music listened to while writing: Britt Nicole, Superchick (as usual), B. Reith-**

**/\/\/\/\**

_Tail off the ground. Pawsteps light. And... _pounce.

Fernpaw flew gracefully through the air, landing on the mouse and killing it with a swift bite.

"Excellent work, Fernpaw," came an approving mew. Fernpaw jumped, startled, turning to see her mentor, Stormblaze, push through the bush. His eyes sparkled in approval.

"I'm surprised you've progressed this far after only a moon of training," he continued. That's right – it had been a moon, hadn't it? Fernpaw blinked in surprise. The time had flown.

"All hail Fernpaw, the great huntress," came a sarcastic voice as another cat appeared. Mosspaw's eyes were frosty but filled with laughter. She made a deep mock bow to Fernpaw, who flicked her sister with her tail.

"You certainly do enjoy praising your apprentice, Stormblaze," came a less humorous remark as Swanfeather appeared next to her apprentice.

"Ah, but she deserves it," reasoned Stormblaze quickly. Fernpaw looked at the ground. She had never really liked the snappy white she-cat Swanfeather had grown to be, but she and Mosspaw seemed to be getting along famously.

"Why don't you save it for when she actually deserves it," Swanfeather cut. She turned to Fernpaw, eyes flashing. "You stepped on a twig when you leaped. The mouse could have gotten away. And FlameClan would be down a fresh-kill piece."

"Now, Swanfeather," Stormblaze said, trying to reason with her.

"Don't _Now, Swanfeather_ me, Stormblaze," snapped the white she-cat. Mosspaw looked uncomfortable, but she seemed to be siding with her mentor.

"Why don't you let me train my apprentice, and you yours?" Stormblaze finally growled, eyes blazing irritably.

"That's a good idea," she snapped, disappearing with Mosspaw following, her blue-gray tail snaking into the forest.

Stormblaze gave an exasperated sigh and rolled his eyes dramatically at Fernpaw, who purred softly. "I am Swanfeather," he said in a mock high-pitched voice, crossing his eyes and standing on his left legs, stumbling awkwardly about. "I am the queen of hunting and mentoring! Bow to me!"

Fernpaw was convulsed in giggles as a irritated snap came from the forest where Swanfeather had disappeared. "I heard that!"

Stormblaze chuckled along with Fernpaw as his eyes sparkled with humor. "Okay, back to reality. That _was_ a good catch, no matter what drama queen over there says, and I caught a rabbit. That should be good for this patrol. Let's head back to camp."

As they loped back to camp easily, Fernpaw thought about the events that had commenced after the apprentice ceremony. Stormblaze and Fernpaw had had a bit of work to do what with Fernpaw's silent attitude, but now that they had had it worked out, they were a great pair. Fernpaw saw her mentor's gray tabby pelt running a bit ahead of hers and stifled a purr. They had become not only mentor and apprentice, but close friends, as well.

They padded into camp, each holding their own catch. Fernpaw proudly set her mouse on the fresh-kill pile, which was satisfyingly full, and scanned the clearing for Lionpaw. She caught the sight of her golden brother as he padded in with his mentor Pinefreeze, headed from the battle training his clearing. Lionpaw looked ruffled but exhilarated. Fernpaw approached him with a cocked head.

"It was great!" he said breathlessly. "I love battle training! Pinefreeze is great at fighting. He taught me all these great new moves!"

"I hope he's not working you too hard," came a concerned voice. Amberblaze approached them, and Lionpaw rolled his eyes.

"Mom, we're not kits anymore," he said, ducking away from her as she attempted to smooth his fur down.

Fernpaw didn't say anything, but her eyes showed her agreement.

"I know," sighed Amberblaze, "But I can't help but worry about you."

"We're fine, mom. Please let us be apprentices," Lionpaw groaned.

Amberblaze sighed and retreated, heading for the warriors den. She had gotten back into the rhythm of warrior duties after leaving the nursery, and they were keeping her busy most of the time – much to Fernpaw, Lionpaw, and Mosspaw's relief.

"Aw, how cute," came a poison-laced mew. Fernpaw bristled as she recognized the voice and Frostpaw approached, a smirk plastered across his face.

"Go away, Frostpaw," growled Lionpaw, putting a voice to his sister's distaste.

"No," said Frostpaw simply, sitting down uncomfortably close to Fernpaw and drawing his tongue over his paw. Fernpaw edged away.

"I think it's cute. You're obviously a momma's boy. That's okay. Oh, wait. No it isn't," snickered Frostpaw.

"Shut up. Piece of fox-dung!" snarled Lionpaw, suddenly flying through the air towards Frostpaw. They rolled over, a mess of fur. Fernpaw jumped up, alarmed, as the older apprentice easily overpowered her brother and held him to the ground, holding a paw to his throat and pressing.

"Never insult me!" Frostpaw hissed, his green eyes flaming. Lionpaw made sputtering sounds, unable to breathe. Fernpaw couldn't do a thing.

"Get your filthy paws off my brother!" came a yowl as a bullet of fur slammed into Frostpaw, knocking him off balance. He fell the the ground, and Mosspaw was on top of his, snarling into his face.

Frostpaw was stunned into silence, and then slowly started to chuckle. "Well played, Mosspaw," he said sarcastically, easily pushing her off and getting up, dusting himself up. "I guess I underestimated the 'power' of family. Of course, if you're using 'power' as a synonym for '_weakness'." _He smirked, then padded off, tail held high.

"I can't stand that fur-ball," hissed Mosspaw, amber eyes flaring, while Fernpaw checked to make sure Lionpaw was okay. He was, and he got up, nothing hurt but his pride. Nobody had witnessed the event, much to all of their relief, and they made a silent pact never to speak of it in fear of being punished.

Fernpaw looked around, searching for Stormblaze who had mysteriously disappeared, but she couldn't find him anywhere. Shrugging, she grabbed a vole from the fresh-kill pile and dug in. Except for Frostpaw, life was pretty much perfect.

/\/\/\/\

"Cobwebs, marigold, catmint," mumbled Bristlepaw, going through the store.

"What is coltsfoot used for?" quizzed Stonefeather, going through the store on the opposite side of the den.

"Um... scratches?" guessed Bristlepaw blindly, not remembering anything about coltsfoot.

Stonefeather sighed slightly. "No, Bristlepaw. Coltsfoot is used for shortness of breath."

"Right," she said, mentally bashing herself.

"How about burdock root?"

She drew another blank. "Um... fever?"

"No, that's feverfew."

"And borage is-?"

"Oh, I don't know, Stonefeather!"

Silence.

She sighed. "How am I ever going to learn all of these, Stonefeather?"

"No fear. You will someday. I thought the same thing when I was still Stonepaw."

Bristlepaw blinked. She hadn't ever imagined her large, stoic mentor as an apprentice.

"Stonepaw?"

"Of course. Everyone was once an apprentice, you know," he chuckled, eyes going misty as he remembered. "Quickleap was a good mentor. But very, very strict."

"Like you?" she joked. Their backs were still to each other as they sorted and stacked herbs. She heard a low chuckle.

"I imagine," he chuckled. "But I did, and someday you'll get all of them. It's only been a moon and a half, I wouldn't expect you to know all of them. Hardly." He snorted.

She felt a little wave of relief.

Stonefeather stretched out his limbs, his pelt brushing against Bristlepaw's. "Go take a break. We can finish later."

She didn't need another word as she bounded out of the den, searching the clearing for her brother. She spotted his dusty gray pelt quickly enough and bounded over, pressing up against him.

"How's training?"

"Great," he said excitedly right when he recognized his tortoiseshell sister. "I'm learning all these new battle moves! And hunting is so fun!"

Bristlepaw felt a pang of jealousy. Warrior training sure sounded fun. But she was quite sure being a medicine cat was the path for her.

"How's medicine cat training?" he added, almost as an after-thought. Bristlepaw brightened.

"It's okay. I learned what goldenrod does."

"Really?" asked Dustpaw, obviously uninterested.

"It's fantastic for healing wounds. So you better be respectful of it if you want to live past your next battle," Bristlepaw purred. Dustpaw aimed a swipe at her.

"Dustpaw! Border patrol with me and Leafstripe!" Lilystar called from the camp entrance. Dustpaw jumped, nodding a quick goodbye to Bristlepaw and bounding after his mentor. Bristlepaw watched him go semi-wistfully, then padded back to her own training area.

"Bristlepaw, we're out of poppy seeds. Could you go find some?" came a call.

"Sure, Stonefeather!" she said excitedly, turning and racing out the camp entrance. She took any excuse she could to get out in the dark pines, and she loved the earthy smell of the ShadeClan forest. She caught the scent of a vole, and tried to pounce on it. She was too clumsy, though, and it ran away before she could do a thing.

Sighing, she got back to the task at hand – herb collecting. She knew a good place for poppy seeds, but as she approached it, she heard something not quite right.

"What if Bristlepaw wasn't really your sister?" she heard a muffled voice that she quickly distinguished as Lilystar.

"Wasn't my sister?" came a nervous chuckle. "Why wouldn't she be?"

"What if she was?"

"Well, uh... I don't know. What is this about, Lilystar? And where did Leafstripe go?"

"Leafstripe's checking the border further on," Lilystar said. Bristlepaw could see her white pelt through the bracken. "As for what this is about... it's nothing. Just a test."

"Oh," said Dustpaw nervously, "Am I passing?"

"I don't know yet. Let's say it turns out she's not your sister. And you have to fight her real family. Would you do it?"

"Depends."

"Hmm."

"I mean, yes!" Dustpaw was desperate to pass the 'test'. "Or, no. Well, it depends on who they are!"

"If they challenge you."

"Well... yes, maybe."

"And what if Bristlepaw was still loyal to them, so she turned on you, too?"

Silence.

"And tried to kill you?"

"Bristlepaw would _never_ do that."

"Not the point!"

"Well, I guess I'd have to fight her." The words were strained.

"Right. For the good of the Clan."

"The good of the Clan," Dustpaw echoed softly.

"Not that that will ever happen. You probably have nothing to worry about." Lilystar was as cool and collected as ever. It terrified Bristlepaw.

She turned and raced away, heart pounding. What was Lilystar trying to get at? That couldn't have been a real test. She was trying to figure out something. What, Bristlepaw could only guess.

She reached the bush she had been initially looking for, hastily grabbing a pawful of seeds and continuing on towards camp, the wind in her fur as she ran frantically.

_What was going on?_

/\/\/\/\

Wolfpaw landed hard, rolling to the ground.

"Get up. Don't stop."

Wolfpaw pulled himself up from the large flat rock, grimacing as he turned to his leader and mentor. The silver tabby stood tall and strong on the training rock, watching him carefully.

"Attack again."

So, going for his top hadn't worked. He was small enough that maybe...

Wolfpaw bounded towards his leader, faking going up and instead sliding under the leader's front paws, scrabbling at his belly with sheathed paws. Thunderstar leaped into the air with a startled yowl, away from Wolfpaw, landing unbalanced a tail-length away from his apprentice. Wolfpaw took the opportunity, launching himself at his leader and knocking him over. They lay against the rock together, breathing heavy, both exhausted. Thunderstar pulled himself up, watching his apprentice approvingly.

"Excellent work. You learn faster than I thought you would." He flicked his tail towards camp. "That's enough for today. Go get something to eat – you must be hungry."

Wolfpaw _was_ hungry. He picked himself up and trotted back to camp, leaping from boulder to boulder. StoneClan's territory was less than forgiving, giving them an edge in battle. While FlameClan was used to soft grass under their paws, StoneClan could take on any environment easily. He felt pride well up inside him.

Entering camp, he took a thrush from the pile and dug in. Nobody approached him – go figure. Then a soft gray wisp of fur caught his eye, and he turned his head to see Softpaw padding up near him. His heart fluttered a little bit. A moon had passed and he had still retained his feelings for the she-cat.

"Hi, Wolfpaw," she said softly, blinking shyly.

"Um..." he stuttered dumbly, "Hi."

_Hi! HI? Mouse-brain! You've waited for moons to say something to her and all you can come up with is HI?_

She grinned. "Thunderstar working you very hard out there?"

"Yeah," he said, slightly relaxing, to her amusement. "He taught me a great battle move for fighting MarshClan cats."

Softpaw's gaze dropped. "I suppose fighting is your favorite thing to do, eh?"

"No, not really," he answered truthfully, taking a bit of his prey. "I prefer hunting. Fighting seems useless to me."

She looked at him with bright eyes. "Really? All Windpaw wants to do is tear out ShadeClan fur. The mouse-brain."

Wolfpaw purred. "Yeah. If you think about it, why fight when we can just talk it out? Lots of blood spill can be saved if we would just approach our problems that way."

Softpaw was about the answer when a commotion came from the camp entrance. A flash of ginger fur flew into the camp, and Wolfpaw quickly identified it as Sunpaw.

"MarshClan!" he screeched, eyes wide and sides heaving. "MarshClan is attacking at the border! They're trying to take back the Stream!" The Stream was a prized piece of territory rich in prey and water that StoneClan and MarshClan had fought over for seasons.

Shocked yowls arose from the warriors den as Thunderstar appeared from his den. His eyes blazed. "All able warriors and apprentices assist me!" he yowled as he ran out the entrance.

Wolfpaw streaked after his mentor, Softpaw falling into step beside him. It was risky, taking everyone, but Wolfpaw knew Thunderstar had a secret motive. Ever since the battle with MarshClan that had taken Thunderstar's mate, Pebblefur, Thunderstar – even as the fair leader he was – had retained a grudge against the Clan. It was when Wolfpaw was still a kit, but he could still remember the heartache that shone in Thunderstar's eyes when they brought back the brown she-cat's body.

As the crowd of warriors approached the border, a startling image came into view. A dark brown tabby tom was holding Sunpaw's mentor, Mousewhisker, to the ground, snarling in the she-cat's face. Two older MarshClan warriors were fighting Firestorm, who was struggling to hold them off, while Tinypaw was locked with a white apprentice. Wolfpaw felt a rush of relief. This would be easy – with all the new reinforcements, there was nothing to do but-

"MarshClan, attack!" came a yowl. From the opposite side of the border came reinforcements for the other side. Like StoneClan, it looked like they had brought the whole Clan with them, and with screeches and yowls, the two Clans were thrown into combat.

Wolfpaw fought side by side with Softpaw as they attacked a silver-gray she-cat. She yowled as Wolfpaw flew underneath her, scrabbling with his unsheathed hind legs, while Softpaw leaped on top of her and clawed both her sides. The she-cat screeched in pain as blood flew freely, turning and running back into MarshClan territory. Wolfpaw spat after her.

He caught something out of the corner of his eye. The white tom apprentice was holding Tinypaw down, a large paw raised as Tinypaw cowered, waiting for the blow. Flying through the air, Wolfpaw slammed into the tom, rolling him over. He tried to claw at his face. The other apprentice easily dodged the hasty attacks, getting a grip on Wolfpaw's hind leg and biting down hard. Wolfpaw heard a crack and felt flashing pain run up and down his body as he yowled. Tinypaw picked herself up and dragged the MarshClan apprentice away, biting and scratching him everywhere.

Wolfpaw looked around desperately in the frenzy of battle, trying to see if they were winning or losing. _Where's Softpaw?_ He thought suddenly as he saw cat after cat streak back into the mountains of StoneClan.

They were losing the fight. Thunderstar must have known this, for he yowled out, "StoneClan, retreat! This is a battle for another day!"

MarshClan cats let out a yowl of triumph but they weren't about to let the StoneClan cats who weren't retreating go. Wolfpaw looked around frantically for Softpaw – and there she was.

A ginger tom, looking about the same age as he was, was hissing and clawing at her. She dodged his blows, flying into him and biting down hard on his back. The apprentice yowled and, with a violent twist, threw her into the air. Wolfpaw watched with horror as Softpaw flew through the air and slammed against an upright rock. There was a sickening _crunch_, and she collapsed, going still.

"No," Wolfpaw whispered, in shock. Then louder, "NO!" He streaked up to the light gray she-cat, begging StarClan to keep her alive. "Softpaw, Softpaw. No. Please, don't leave me."

Her beautiful blue eyes flickered open as her breathing become ragged. "Wolfpaw," she managed.

"No, Softpaw, please, stay," Wolfpaw murmured, pushing hiss nose into her soft neck fur.

"I have to go, Wolfpaw."

"Softpaw, no!" Wolfpaw took a breath. "I – I love you."

Her eyes sparkled with happiness for an instant, and then closed forever.

Wolfpaw stood in shock. All sound ceased. StoneClan cats were trying to retreat, trying to get out of the grips of MarshClan cats, but Wolfpaw was not about to retreat. He slowly turned, focusing on the ginger apprentice who was looking at Softpaw's body with wide, horrified eyes.

"You killed her," he hissed.

The tom looked at Wolfpaw and shook his head frantically. "No, no. I didn't mean to, I swear."

"You _killed her!"_ screeched Wolfpaw, anger and pain taking over him. He leaped at the tom, claws and teeth flashing. The ginger tom turned tail and ran, obviously seeing nothing could beat this frenzied apprentice in this state.

"I swear, I'll kill you someday!" Wolfpaw yowled after the ginger tom.

"If it's the last thing I do," he added in an intense whisper.

/\

Wolfpaw picked up Softpaw's body gingerly and brought her into camp. There was much grief and sorrow, especially for Windpaw, who was Softpaw's best friend. "She can't be gone," he mumbled, his voice raw with grief.

They gave her the burial of a hero. Wolfpaw kept back his tears, determined to stay strong. But he was broken inside. Bawling. All he wanted to do was curl up in a ball and die.

But he had to stay alive. If nothing else, to take revenge on that ginger apprentice. Whoever he was. Wolfpaw felt his claws flex and dig into the soft earth as he dropped his head and squeezed his eyes together tightly.

He would do it.

No matter what.

/\/\/\/\

Blazepaw flew back to camp. His wounds were bleeding openly, but he didn't really care. All he knew is that he had to _get away, _get away from the gray tom who had the fire of battle in his eyes. He shuddered violently as he made his way back towards camp. He had _killed_ the she-cat. He hadn't meant to. He just wanted to get her off of him. But then she flew against that rock, and... he shuddered again, trying to push the memory away.

"Blazepaw! Are you okay?" Flamestripe flew out of the medicine cat's den, inspecting her kit closely. Blazepaw was silent, his eyes wide open, looking at the ground.

"You're in shock. Come on, Goldensky will help you," said Flamestripe, herding Blazepaw into the den where the gold she-cat was treating other injured warriors.

She looked up at Blazepaw and nodded immediately. "I see this a lot with young apprentices. Their first battle is just too much for them."

_It's not that! _Blazepaw wanted to scream, but he couldn't.

"Here." Goldensky fished out a couple of small seeds with her paw, rolling them to Blazepaw. "Eat them."

Blazepaw bent his head and licked them up. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Goldensky looking at him weirdly. He didn't think of it. The poppy seeds were already working, and he could feel his nerves relaxing. He was suddenly very tired.

Goldensky guided him to a soft, mossy nest where Blazepaw curled up. He closed his eyes and fell into sleep.

/\

"_Blazepaw, wake up. Blaaaaaaaaazepaw..."_

Blazepaw was having a dream about gray wolves and soft paws. He didn't know what that meant, but it was scary.

"BLAZEPAW! Wake up right now!"

Blazepaw's eyes flew open and he blinked. The poppy seeds were just wearing off, and as he wiped away the fuzziness with his paws, he focused on a gray pelt standing over him.

"Chilltrickle?" he mumbled sleepily.

"Yes. Get up, Blazepaw, you've been sleeping forever," his father snapped irritably.

Blazepaw sprung up, fully awake. "Did we win? Did anybody get hurt?"

"Yes, we won. Now MarshClan has the Stream. As it should be," Chilltrickle said smugly. "As your injuries –" he paused, dropping his head. "Silversnow died."

Blazepaw felt like he was going to be sick. Silversnow, as is the deputy?

"Who's the new deputy then?" Blazepaw asked faintly, realizing he must have slept through it.

"Falconwing."

"Really?" Blazepaw asked in excitement. His own mentor?

"Anyways, I think Falconwing wants to take you on a border patrol with Pondripple. Go ahead," he urged, flicking his tail and not bothering to answer his question.

Blazepaw bounded towards the camp entrance, where his mentor was waiting, his tabby coat gleaming in the morning sun.

"About time," his mentor said.

"Falconwing, you're really the deputy?" Blazepaw asked in excitement.

Falconwing nodded, eyes gleaming. "Which means you _really_ have to watch your step now," he joked lightly. "Come on, let's head for FlameClan."

MarshClan shared a border with FlameClan, the Clan of the forest, and StoneClan – obviously – the Clan of the mountains. MarshClan's territory was flat and swampy, very wet and muddy with lots of grass. Only MarshClan cats loved their environment. Especially StoneClan couldn't stand the softness under their paws – what with their usual hard rocks under their paws al the time. ShadeClan was on the other side of the Gathering place, the Four Hills. The Four Hills was an interesting place. True to its name, there were four small hills clustered together in the middle. One was of red-yellow grass, and looked like fire – that for FlameClan. One was of black stone, for ShadeClan. The other was gray slate, for StoneClan, and a soft grassy hill served as MarshClan's. The Gathering was held there every moon. Speaking of which...

"When's the Gathering next, Falconwing?" Blazepaw inquired as the marked the FlameClan border.

"Tomorrow night."

"That's getting close," Blazepaw remarked, rather than squeal with excitement like an apprentice with less self-control.

"Yes. Maybe Ravenstar will let you go."

"Maybe," said Blazepaw in excitement. The last Gathering had been the day before he had become an apprentice.

"Come on, let's get back to camp," said Falconwing after they made sure StoneClan was honoring the boundaries.

As Blazepaw flew back to camp, he could almost forget about the body of the gray she-cat, dead by him.

Almost.

/\/\/\/\

**So how do you like? Quite a twist with Blazepaw and Softpaw, eh? (I hope it wasn't too awfully predictable. XP )**

** Please Review! **

** ~Wilder**


	6. The Darkness of Light

**Okay guys, first, I made an error in the last chapter. MarshClan's deputy _Faintwing_ died, not Silversnow. That was a goof-up on my part – Silversnow is the deputy of StoneClan and she is still alive.**

**No we're going to go far away, in a place untouched by the Clans...**

**You all know you were wondering what happened to those white cats from before, right? Well here you go.**

**Music listened to while writing: Superchick, B. Reith.**

**/\/\/\/\**

White.

That's what Larria opened her eyes to every single day.

A white pelt blocking the sun.

A white paw coming to on her head.

This time it was a white kit, looking at her curiously.

"Who are _you?"_

"Eagle!" came a sharp call as Gravida, a beautiful white she-cat, pushed him away. "_Never_ talk to slaves! Or unpures, for that matter."

"Why?" asked the innocent tom as Larria pulled herself up, trying to stay in the shadows. "She looks nice enough."

"_It_ is not nice. _It_ is a slave. _It_ has a dark pelt, and _you_ will stay away from _it._ Is that clear?" Gravida said sharply.

"Yes, mother," mumbled Eagle as he was shepherded away.

Larria lowered her eyes to the stone floor of the cave that served as a home for the pure hunters. She looked at her paws, a dark tortoiseshell that covered her whole body, and sighed. She was proud of her pelt, but wished she didn't have to have it _here._

Here being the pure hunters. Made of white cats who believed that only white cats - "pure" cats – could rule the forest. Cats captured by them who were not of "pure" standard were put into two categories; a slave if they were dark, an unpure if they were lighter but not quite right.

Larria was a slave. She hadn't always been. She had been a loner with her brother, Pine. But then they found the pure hunters; stumbled upon them accidentally. Pine had a white pelt and was accepted as a fighter. Larria was forced into slavery.

And she hated every second.

"Who do we have here?" Larria flinched as she heard a smooth, rumbling voice from behind her. She had learned the hard way silence made it hurt less.

A blinding pain came from behind as a paw came in contact with her skull and she flew into the air, slamming against the stone wall of the cave and dropping to the ground. A white tom stood over her, smirking.

"Scragg," she muttered, pulling herself up.

"_Thing," _he returned. "Where's Blackest?"

"I don't know. Somewhere," returned the small tortoiseshell she-cat.

Scragg drew his claws across Larria's face, causing blood. "You do know. Where is she?"

"I swear I don't know!" hissed Larria through gritted teeth.

Scragg sighed, feigning disappointment. He turned to leave, but not before slamming Larria against the wall one more time.

Larria ground her teeth together, wanting more than anything else to be able to lash back. But she knew if she did the whole of the pure hunters would immediately leap on her, and she'd be dead before she knew what hit her.

"Kestian! Where is Kestian!" a white tom, Bianco, strode into the camp, searching for his leader.

"She is still sleeping," growled Scragg, the second-in-command. "What's the problem?"

"We have a new recruit. And a new slave," Bianco crowed triumphantly.

"Bring them in." This was a new voice, a cool and calculating one that sent shivers up and down Larria's spine. A snow white she-cat appeared from the leader's den, frosty eyes glittering.

In came a large white she-cat and a black tom. The black tom looked uneasy, especially about this whole "slave" business he heard of, but maybe he had been mistaken.

"What are your names?" Kestian said, putting on a front of amiability.

"I'm Nell," said the white she-cat. Though she was big, she looked younger than than Larria, insecure and scared.

"Welcome, Nell," purred Kestian.

"I'm Adder," said the medium-sized black tom.

Her eyes went cold. She gave him no welcome. Adder shifted uncomfortably.

"Let me explain to you how things go around here," she said. "White cats are good. They are honored, protected, revered. Black cats, they are not so much. Adder will be a slave."

Adder's amber eyes widened in surprise and terror as Tallion, a white she-cat, and Hadas, a fighter tom, approached him on both sides, hissing and spitting.

"Nell," continued Kestian, "You will be a fighter. Come. I will teach you the ways of the pure hunters."

As Nell followed Kestian, Adder was pushed and shoved to the slave's den – a.k.a. the ground outside the fighter's den. Larria snuck up to him as the white cats left, and appeared like a ghost in the shadows.

Adder's eyes were large and fearful. He was a medium-sized black tom, edging towards the smaller side, and his frame looked flexible.

"Adder?" whispered Larria. The tom jumped.

"Who's there?"

"Don't worry. It's just me," said Larria, slipping into the light so he could see her darker pelt.

"And who is 'just me'?"

"I'm a slave, like you," she said, sitting next to him.

Larria herself was a very small tortoiseshell cat. Her markings covered her whole body, unlike some tortoiseshells whose markings only appeared on their back. Her eyes were a pale leaf green that shone with determination and independence. Even though her tiny size made her seem like a weakling, Larria was the toughest survivalist in the forest.

"So what _is _this place?" Adder asked.

"You, my lucky, lucky friend," Larria chuckled drily, "Have stumbled upon the pure hunters."

Pure hunters. The very phrase made Larria's blood boil. As she talked Adder through the ongoings of the group, she had to restrain herself from yowling in fury.

"White cats are 'pures'. Apparently, they are the only ones fit to rule the forest. If you have a coat lighter than black or dark brown but darker than white, and you are a she-cat, you are not a slave, but an unpure." Larria shuddered. "Almost a worse fate. Unpures are forced to carry the kits of white toms, to make more kits, to make the pure hunters stronger."

She motioned with her tail to the cave. "You will live here. My tip – stay to the outskirts. Where it's dark. You'll blend in and have less chance of getting hurt."

"Hurt?" Adder echoed faintly.

"Yes. They love taking out their anger on us," Larria mewed grimly. The sccars on her back seemed to burn even brighter and Adder noticed them with a flinch.

"Anger? I wouldn't say it's _anger,"_ came a smooth, cold voice. Larria flinched. It was Kestian, padding up next to them with Nell in tow.

"Nell," Adder said, pleading. Nell opened her mouth as if to say something.

"Don't answer it," Kestian said sharply, lashing her tail. Nell slowly closed her mouth. Larria was silent, bracing herself.

"You're a monster!" yowled Adder, and Larria shook her head violently, trying to silence him. Adder paid no mind, leaping up and hissing in her face, "You're a coward and a poor excuse for a cat!"

"My, my. It looks like we have to break the new slave in," Kestian said with a cold laugh, lifting a large paw. Adder shrunk away, but there was nowhere to go – the wall of rock was behind him.

Larria heard blood roaring through her ears as Kestian's paw came down. Impulsively, stupidly, she threw herself in front of the blow, deflecting it away from Adder and letting it hit her own head. Larria crashed to the ground, her head throbbing and blood trickling down her forehead. She coughed violently from the impact.

Kestian snickered softly. "How cute." She approached the tortoiseshell she-cat, who was still crumpled on the ground. "Cute indeed." She used her paw to turn Larria's head so that the slave was looking right into the cold green eyes of the pure hunter's leader. Kestian's claws were digging into her neck, and she gasped for breath as the pressure increased.

Finally releasing Larria, Kestian returned to her apprentice, who was trying to hide her horror. "We'll teach the other slave a lesson another day," she said passively. "There are plenty of days left in their lives." She snickered, motioning for Nell to follow her as she trotted away.

Larria pulled herself up as the pain settled to a low throb. Adder rushed over, amber eyes wide in horror.

"Why did you do that?" he hissed, eyes sparking.

"Are you stupid?" she hissed back, "Yelling at her that way? Our time will come, someday. But until then you have to be _quiet._"

"Why did you do that?" he asked again, sitting down. His eyes glowed in concern.

"You wouldn't have survived that. Trust me. Kestian might look dainty, but she hits the hardest. I've seen many a new slave dead by a blow half as hard as that one," she muttered, wincing as she put her paw to her head and felt blood. "I'm used to it."

"But you didn't have to take it for me," he murmured, dropping his gaze to the floor. "Thank you."

"Don't think of it. Until you get used to it, I'll make sure you're safe," she muttered, eyes flashing. She didn't know why she felt so attached to this new slave, but she was determined to keep him alive.

Adder looked, slightly amused, at the she-cat half his size. "You'll keep _me_ safe?" he purred softly, and Larria batted at him playfully.

"Slave! Get me a piece of fresh-kill," called a white tom, Esparian, who was lying lazily in a spot of sun.

"Yes, sir," muttered Larria through gritted teeth, padding to the prey-pile to see it empty. "There is no more, sir."

"Well, go catch some then," growled the tom, rolling eyes as if exasperated by her stupidity.

"Why don't you catch some yourself," hissed Larria under her breath, but nodded and motioned for Adder to follow her. They slipped out of the cave, and surveyed the pure hunter's territory.

The cave was on the side of a small forested hill, which melded into a rocky beach by the lake. A Twolegplace was seen on the distant horizon, and Larria scrunched up her nose at the stench. Prey was scarce here, but findable.

"You go that way, and I'll hunt over here," said Larria, and Adder nodded, slipping away. Larria tasted the air, scenting a bird close by. She dropped into a crouch, stalking up to it with the technique of a skilled huntress, finally pouncing into the air and grabbing it as it tried to fly away with a squawk. She killed it swiftly and felt her mouth water; but if she ate it, the pure hunters would be able to tell, and she's be severely punished. She quickly found a lost rabbit nearby and killed it, dragging the prey back to the cave. She met Adder there, who had found a mouse, and they entered the cave again.

Larria gave Esparian the mouse, and he dug in without thanking her or even acknowledging her presence. She growled softly, padding next to Adder, and they sat in the shadows, quietly conversing.

"Larria! Are you okay? I saw you get hit," came a whisper. Larria turned to see blue eyes peering out from the darkness, and a beautiful light tabby she-cat slipped out of the shadows.

"Yes, I'm okay," said Larria.

"Who's this?" Adder asked. He smiled at the she-cat, who seemed to shrink in reply.

"This is Forgotten. Honestly, stop acting like a scared rabbit. He's a new slave, he won't hurt you." To Adder, she explained, "Forgotten is an unpure. She's carrying Scragg's kits right now."

"Poor thing," murmured Adder under his breath as he saw Forgotten's much-swollen belly.

"I can only hope they're pure," Forgotten said, licking her pelt to smooth it down.

"Would you like to see your kits grow to be killing machines?" growled Larria.

"It's better than seeing killing machines kill them," countered Forgotten fiercely, and Larria shrugged, seeing her point.

"This is awful. Why don't we just try to escape."

"Five words." Larria turned to Adder, staring him straight in the eyes. "They. Will. Hunt. You. Down."

"They can't be that-" Adder started to scoff, but Larria cut him off.

"They will hunt you down to the ends of the earth. I know the _hard_ way," she said. "Haven't you noticed I have a limp?"

Adder awkwardly admitted he had noticed, and Larria dipped her head. "I tried to escape, and they broke both my hing legs so I couldn't run away again." Adder shuddered as Larria continued. "One healed, but the other didn't properly, so I have a limp."

"Are you serious? Both your hind legs?" Adder tried to imagine the pain.

"Yes," Forgotten confirmed grimly. "She was lucky. They killed the other one."

"The other one?" Adder said in alarm as Larria ducked her head, sudden tears shining in her eyes.

"Yes," she managed, closing her eyes. "Flame. They killed him." Her voice was strangely calm.

"Oh," Adder fumbled awkwardly, "I'm – sorry."

"No, it's okay." Larria looked up, all signs of grief gone. "I survived to teach others not to try it." She shot him a pointed glance. "Others like you."

Adder nodded, resigned. "But then... what can we do?"

"Nothing," said Larria softly.

"We can do nothing."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**There will be more pure hunters interspersed in chapters. Larria is the main character of this group, but it will also (at times) follow Adder, Forgotten, and other unpures. :)**

** Please Review! Thanks for those who are leaving comments!**


	7. Blazepaw!

** Thanks for reviewing guys! It really does make a difference!**

** I am SO SO SO sorry for not updating sooner. Life is sooo busy. It's not even funny. Don't expect an update this Thursday through Sunday, I will be on vaca! :D But then I will be back with many new chapters, as I will write down my chapters in a blank notebook and simply convert them to text document when I return.**

** On with the story! The night of the Gathering! I won't bore you with going through each Clan getting ready for the Gathering, but POV's might change during the actual Gathering. Know that each main character will be going.**

** A special shout-out to Shadowclanwarrior for reviewing all my chapters and sticking with the story! Thanks SO much! :D Also a shout-out to warriorluvah2468, for reviewing! :D Reviews literally make my day, so please do, any random peoples appearing! xD**

** /\/\/\/\**

"The cats who will come with me to the Gathering will be Lightstep, Moonshadow and Bramblepaw, Pinefreeze, Stormblaze, Hollyshade, Emberblaze, Crowbreeze, Eaglesoar, Tigergrowl, Frostpaw, Fernpaw, and Lionpaw," said Aspenstar. She paused, dipping her head to the elders. "The elders may also come." The beautiful brown tabby she-cat smiled down at the group of cats below her as cats dispersed and got ready for the Gathering.

Fernpaw gave a little jump of excitement as she heard her name being called. She looked up at the moon; it was almost time to go.

"Lucky," came a growl. Fernpaw tilted her head at Mosspaw, who was scowling. Fernpaw flicked her tail comfortingly over Mosspaw's ears, seeming to say "_Don't be such a grouch."_

"Tell me everything that happens?" Mosspaw begged, and Lionpaw, who was standing next to Fernpaw, nodded.

"FlameClan; let's go!" yowled Aspenstar as she bounded out of camp. The selected cats rushed after her, Fernpaw and Lionpaw bringing up the rear. Fernpaw loved racing alongside her Clanmates. She spotted the pale coat of her father, the deputy, Lightstep, up ahead, and went even faster.

As they flew through the thick forest, the grove of trees that was the Gathering place came into view. FlameClan poured in as Aspenstar took her place atop the FlameHill. Fernpaw gazed around at the Clans who were already there.

The group of cats lingering near the hill of black stone were ShadeClan. That was easy enough; Fernpaw had learned their scent from the border patrols. Then the cats clustered near the green grassy hill must be MarshClan. Fernpaw looked at the leaders; a pure white she-cat was leading ShadeClan, and an old black tom, MarshClan. _Ravenstar and Lilystar,_ she thought with a shiver.

She felt a nudge from behind and glanced back sharply to see her mentor, Stormblaze, watching her with kind amber eyes. "Go on. Meet some other apprentices."

Fernpaw hesitated uneasily, but was herded along by Lionpaw as the Clans started to mingle together. They approached a white apprentice smelling of ShadeClan.

"Hello," said Lionpaw, and the apprentice turned in surprise, offering them a friendly smile.

"Hi there," she said. "What're your names?"

"I'm Lionpaw and this is Fernpaw," Lionpaw introduced the two. Fernpaw nodded her head in greeting to the apprentice. "We live in FlameClan."

"I'm Snowpaw, of ShadeClan," she said. Snowpaw looked only about a moon older that Lionpaw and Fernpaw, and she was friendly enough. "How's life?"

"Great!" Lionpaw said enthusiastically. "Being an apprentice is awesome!"

"Oh, so you're new apprentices," Snowpaw said with a chuckle. "And this is your first Gathering?"

Fernpaw nodded.

"I think you'll like it. You get to meet all kinds of new-" she broke off as a mew sounded from the other side. She stood. "I'm sorry, Nightshadow is calling me." She flicked her tail farewell. "It was nice meeting you."

Fernpaw waved her tail as Snowpaw bounded away. She looked at Lionpaw, who grinned.

The sound of many footsteps reached Fernpaw's ears as cats started to pour through the entrance leading to StoneClan. A magnificent silver tabby leaped on to the gray slate hill, eying Ravenstar coldly. _Thunderstar,_ Fernpaw realized, _But why does StoneClan look so uneasy?_

And indeed, MarshClan, too, withdrew slightly, the two Clans occasionally shooting death glares at each other.

"Fernpaw!" came a call. Stormblaze was waving his tail. "The leaders are about to talk. Come sit with FlameClan." Apparently, the remaining Clans were becoming uneasy about this shift in tension as well. Fernpaw sat next to her mentor, and Lionpaw went on her other side.

Aspenstar stood to the nods of the other leaders, speaking loudly for all cats to hear. "FlameClan is doing exceptionally well this greenleaf. Prey is running well, and all our cats are healthy. We have three new apprentices; Lionpaw, Fernpaw, and Mosspaw."

A cheer of greeting arose from the Clans as Fernpaw stood up tall, feeling the glances directed her way.

"A fox was scented near the ShadeClan border, but we have found no other sign of it," concluded Aspenstar, sitting and dipping her head to Lilystar.

The darkly beautiful she-cat stood, green eyes pinpointing each separate cat in the clearing as she spoke, her voice silky-cold. "ShadeClan is doing well. Prey is fine, as should be expected. Stonefeather, our medicine cat, has taken on an apprentice. Bristlepaw is the new medicine cat apprentice. We also have another new apprentice; Dustpaw."

Another cheer went up. Fernpaw looked curiously at a small tortoiseshell she-cat sitting next to Stonefeather who looked around proudly. _Bristlepaw,_ she thought. _Maybe I should go meet her later._

"We are checking our borders every day, and are pleased to announce we have found no sign of border trespassing," Lilystar concluded. Fernpaw gave a tiny grin. ShadeClan was known for its touchiness about borders.

It was Thunderstar's turn, and he stood slowly. "We have three new apprentices; Sunpaw, Tinypaw, and Wolfpaw." Fernpaw saw a gray tom, a black she-cat, and a ginger tom sit up importantly. "Unfortunately, unlike ShadeClan we cannot give good reports about our borders." Hushed murmurs flew through the congregation. "MarshClan attacked our border in an effort to take the Stream," Thunderstar continued with darkening eyes. "And in the meantime killed one of our one apprentices – Softpaw – for no good reason."

Yowls of shock echoed through the clearing as faces turned to Ravenstar for confirmation. The black tom was stoic.

"A real warrior never kills," hissed Thunderstar, his eyes blazing. "This is not the first time one of our own has been murdered by MarshClan."

"I could say the same thing!" Ravenstar suddenly hissed, springing to life. "Our deputy Faintwing was killed, as well!"

Aspenstar's pelt was bristling and Lilystar, though as calm and collected as ever, allowed herself an eyebrow raise of surprise.

"No," Thunderstar said, shaking his head. "Faintwing was hurt in battle and died later of infection. I would say this is not our own fault, but the fault of a poor medicine cat!"

"What are you saying about Goldensky?" yowled Ravenstar in a fury, letting his claws slide out and tensing his muscles.

"Silence!" came a sudden call. All heads turned in surprise to see Lilystar, looking up at the moon. "StarClan is not pleased," she continued in an eerily calm manner.

Fernpaw looked up fearfully to see clouds starting to drift over the moon and shivered.

The two tom leaders reluctantly settled their fur down, sheathing their claws.

"This bloodshed in not needed, nor wanted," Aspenstar said, her voice ringing with wisdom. "The Stream is not worth cat's lives, is it? And with prey so bountiful, the extra prey is not needed, either."

"Agreed," Thunderstar conceded reluctantly.

Ravenstar said nothing, but dipped his head slowly. "Still, MarshClan still holds the Stream," the black tom growled.

"How can you do this?" came an explosion from the StoneClan area. Fernpaw whipped her head as shocked whispers flew through the crowd. A shaggy gray apprentice was standing, dark brown eyes blazing.

"They killed Softpaw, and you're just going to let them get away with it?"

/\/\/\/\

Wolfpaw didn't know what had come over him, but here he was, screeching his challenge into the night sky.

"Wolfpaw, this is not your place to talk," growled Thunderstar.

"You can't just-"

"Enough!" snapped his leader, lashing his tail. Wolfpaw shrunk back down, still angry.

"What in StarClan's name are you thinking?" came an angry hiss. Wolfpaw flinched as Sunpaw and Tinypaw shot dagger-sharp glares his way.

Ravenstar was rushing through formalities quickly. "We have a new apprentice, Blazepaw."

_Blazepaw._ Wolfpaw searched MarshClan suspiciously, his gaze locking on a ginger tom who was trying to stay out of sight, sending guilty, frightened glances towards StoneClan.

_**Blazepaw**__!_

Wolfpaw's claws slid out as he growled. He would remember the tom who killed Softpaw.

He would remember Blazepaw.

/\/\/\/\

Blazepaw shifted uncomfortably as he imagined every StoneClan cat's gaze boring into his pelt, realizing he was the one who had killed the gray she-cat.

_It was an accident! I didn't want to kill her!_

His eyes fixed on a shaggy gray tom who seemed to stare at him eerily and shivered, trying to slink away into the background. Some curious glances were shot his way from his Clanmates, but dismissed it as first-Gathering nervousness.

He swallowed hard as Aspenstar yowled, "The Gathering is at an end! We depart until next full moon." She leaped down from the Flame-Hill, trotting away with FlameClan trailing behind her. Blazepaw watched the leave, making eye contact with a black she-cat with stunning green eyes who blinked and looked away quickly, embarrassed. Then she was gone, leaving Blazepaw watching where they had left bemusedly.

StoneClan followed them, and ShadeClan was soon to follow. Ravenstar took a little longer getting down from the Marsh-Hill, aided by Falconwing, his new deputy.

Blazepaw trotted after his leader along with the other MarshClan cats, mind still buzzing with thoughts of the Gathering – and the black she-cat he had watched leave.

/\/\

Fernpaw immediately turned her gaze elsewhere when she made awkward eye contact with the ginger tom, leaping after Lionpaw, who greeted her with a flick of his tail. She bounded after Aspenstar's fleeting image, picking up speed as she headed home.

/\/\

**For anyone who was wondering (though I doubt anybody was), here are some pictures of characters – mains, leaders, and other random characters. Eye colors aren't always accurate, ****though in some cases they are.**

** Fernpaw - **./2201/1606268841_

** Bristlepaw - **

** Wolfpaw - **.com/icegaze1897/dark%20gray%

** Blazepaw - **.

** Aspenstar - **.com/warriorcatfansonly/cat_by_

** Lilystar - **.

** Thunderstar - **.

** Ravenstar - **.com/uploads/2/4/7/4/2474956/6508994_?199

** Mosspaw - **.com/Big_Green_by_

** Flamestripe - **.

**Stormblaze** - .net/fs18/300W/i/2007/223/1/9/Cat_with_blue_eyes_by_

**Larria - **.

**Kestian** - .

**I also need ideas for pairings. There's a poll on my profile page that has options. StormblazexFernpaw, FernxBlaze, WolfxBristle, FernxWolf, and LarriaxAdder are a few options. Go vote, although I have some ideas already on what pairings to do ;)**

** Also, I beg of you – REVIEW! Just clickly. And type. Honestly, just put "Hi" if you're that lazy, so I know somebody's reading this. Thankies, bye.**


	8. Danger

**That's right, it's a... nother chapter! -wah wah wahh-**

** And some more romance-type stuff. And more pairing ideas. But don't worry, not an awfully lot. I need to know what pairings you guys like!**

** sunpaw12: First, thank you for reviewing and reading. But, no, I did not steal Sunpaw from you. Yes, I _do_ own _him,_ and even if they have the same name, it doesn't mean they are the same cat. Thank you for reviewing, but please don't say that I copied a character off of somebody else. That's insulting to my pride. And about Wolfpaw: Yeah, he's kind of a love-em-or-hate-em character. Personally I love him. c:**

** I guess I should do a disclaimer.**

** I do not own Warriors. (Darn.)**

** I do own _all_ my characters (including Sunpaw), the Clans, the prophecy, etc.**

** /\/\/\**

"So how was the Gathering?" floated a voice. Wolfpaw blinked open his eyes to see Windpaw watching him curiously.

"Fine," Wolfpaw grumbled, sitting up.

"That's not an answer. How _was_ it? What _happened_?"

"It was fine," Wolfpaw snapped at the irritating tom, lashing his tail.

"I'm sorry for asking. I'll ask Sunpaw or Tinypaw. Maybe _they'll _be a bit more happy to tell me something," Windpaw hissed, narrowing his eyes and stalking out of the apprentice's den.

Wolfpaw sighed. If he wanted people to like them, he had to be nicer. But it was hard, and he certainly didn't want to talk about the ginger tom that had haunted his dreams, killing Softpaw over and over again in his mind.

"You really are bad at this, aren't you," came an amused, shockingly familiar voice. Wolfpaw whipped about to find the culprit of the voice, eyes widening as he saw.

Softpaw.

"Softpaw, what – how – who-" Wolfpaw broke off as he saw that Softpaw was transparent and had stars wreathing her paws.

"Wolfpaw, a great danger is coming," Softpaw said, her normally light eyes darkening in concern. "You have to find the other three."

"What other three? What danger?" Wolfpaw asked frantically. "What are you talking about?"

Softpaw suddenly jerked her head upwards towards the sky, looking as if she was afraid. "I'm not supposed to be here, but I couldn't leave you in the dark." She stood, piercing him with urgent blue eyes. "Wolfpaw, everything is not what it seems. That's all I can tell you right now. You need to be on the lookout. And Wolfpaw..." she started to fade. "Be careful."

"No! Softpaw, wait," yowled Wolfpaw, fur standing on end as she disappeared. A bemused ginger head stuck itself into the den.

"Dreaming about your lost love again?" snickered Sunpaw, eyes narrowing. "She's gone, stupid. Get it in your head."

Wolfpaw forced himself to relax, giving Sunpaw the look of death. "Be quiet, you-"

"Hey, at least he's not the one interrupting the Gathering to get revenge on the Clan who killed his love," Tinypaw chimed in, padding in, eyes flashing.

"Shut up!" Wolfpaw hissed, stalking out of his den.

"Wolfpaw, I need to talk to you," came a deep voice. Wolfpaw flinched as Thunderstar appeared in the entrance to his den. "Come in."

Wolfpaw padded up tentatively, trying his hardest not to look back as he heard the scornful laughter of his siblings. How could he be related to them?

He entered Thunderstar's den, glancing around the large stone cave. The leader's bed of moss lay in the far corner, and Wolfpaw breathed in the still-lingering scent of Thunderstar's deceased mate, Pebblefur.

"Wolfpaw, your behavior last night was completely and utterly disrespectful," growled Thunderstar, sitting tall. "As your leader and your mentor, I have a responsibility to punish you for your actions."

"Yes, sir," Wolfpaw mumbled, ducking his head.

"Extra hunting and border patrols," Thunderstar decided. "I want you to go on dawn, sun-high and evening border patrols, and hunt in between them. You can eat and rest for a little, but if I catch you lazing around, you'll be stuck with the elders, too."

Wolfpaw's heart sunk. Well, at least it was better than being confined to camp. Maybe now, he could be on the lookout for this 'danger' Softpaw was telling him about.

"You had better get started now," Thunderstar said, glancing behind Wolfpaw. "It looks like Swiftstride is gathering a border patrol."

Wolfpaw bounded out of Thunderstar's den, rushing over to Swiftstride. The gray tom was calling Wispfeather and Firestorm.  
>"Swiftstride, Thunderstar wants me to go on patrol with you," Wolfpaw said.<p>

Swiftstride gave a quiet sigh. "He can't take his own apprentice?" he grumbled, no doubt disappointed at getting the delinquent apprentice.

"We're ready, Swiftstride," said Wispfeather, the red tom behind her dipping his head.

"Let's get going." Swiftstride sped out of camp, Wolfpaw, Wispfeather, and Firestorm following.

/\/\

"I trust you've seen ShadeClan before?" drawled Swiftstride. Wolfpaw rolled his eyes.

"I'm not a brand-new apprentice."

"He's right, Swiftstride. You're treating him like a kit," Wispfeather scolded, sending a sympathetic glance Wolfpaw's way. Wolfpaw looked at his paws in slight embarrassment.

"Fine. Since you two seem to be getting along so _swell,_ why don't you take that end, and Firestorm and I will take the other. Right, Firestorm?" Firestorm seemed uneasy at being with the talkative tom, but nodded quietly.

Wispfeather and Wolfpaw padded side by side down the border, stopping every now and then to mark it.

"I feel bad for you. Everyone gives attention to Sunpaw and Tinypaw, but you don't seem that bad," Wispfeather lilted softly. Wolfpaw scowled.

"Thanks for the thought, but I don't want your pity," he growled, narrowing his eyes.

"It's not pity, mouse-brain," she said, pushing him slightly as they continued down the border. "I'm trying to make a stupid conversation, and you're shooting it down."

"Sorry," Wolfpaw sighed, tough-guy mask fading away. "It's just that... I don't know. I absolutely fail at any type of friendship."

"I wouldn't say that," Wispfeather said, brushing against a tree. "It's just that you're not the... sociable type."

"Which leaves me with no friends." Wolfpaw shrugged. "It's not that awfully bad. I get to figure things out for myself, this way."

"No friends?" Wispfeather's voice was high and mock-insulted. "_No_ friends? I think you've just made _one_ friend, Wolfpaw." She gave him a grin, and he smiled hesitantly back. "And I don't see why you can't make others."

Wolfpaw padded on in silence. Maybe she was right, but this was awfully hard already.

"Come on. Let's get back. Swiftstride is waiting, and I'm sure he'll have a mouthful for us," Wispfeather said with an over-exaggerated eye-roll. Wolfpaw snickered, and they bounded back up the border, pelts almost brushing.

/\/\

(_**A half-moon later)**_

__"Bristlepaw, are you ready to go?" The tortoiseshell jumped, scrambling to clean up the mess that was her fur.

"Yes, Stonefeather. Coming." Bristlepaw's heart beat rapidly. This was her first medicine cat meeting, having missed the first she was eligible to attend due to an awful cold. She was so ready.

"Off we go." The gray tabby was bounding away right as Bristlepaw caught up to him, and she followed quickly, the moon shining over her head.

Through ShadeClan they went, through the dark pines, until the forest faded into rocks and they were in StoneClan territory. This terrain hurt her pads as she wrinkled her nose at the scent of StoneClan, rather overwhelming. She spotted MarshClan and saw a small brown figure padding towards them.

"Goldensky," greeted Stonefeather, dipping his head.

"Stonefeather," she returned, seeing Bristlepaw hang back and smiling hesitantly. "Who's this?"

"This is Bristlepaw. She couldn't come last time because of a sudden sickness, but she's here now," Stonefeather said proudly, nudging Bristlepaw forward. She smiled at Goldensky shyly.

"Hi there," the MarshClan medicine cat said amiably.

"You're going to meet Moonshadow and Bramblepaw soon," Stonefeather said, adding with hesitation, "and Berryfire."

"An what, may I ask, wrong with meeting Berryfire?" said a light brown tom as he jumped onto the rock above them.

"You're not exactly a good influence," Stonefeather said with a pointed glance at the new tom – Berryfire.

"Ah, you're no fun," he said, winking flirtatiously at Bristlepaw, who stiffened in indignation.

"Good, we're all here." A black she-cat with white paws and a white muzzle stepped out of the shadows, smelling of FlameClan. She glanced at Bristlepaw with interest as a smaller tortoiseshell she-cat appeared at her side. "Hello, who's this?"

"Moonshadow, Bramblepaw, this is Bristlepaw," Stonefeather said. "She's my new apprentice."

"Nice to meet you, Bristlepaw," said Moonshadow, giving her a polite nod and flicking her tail. "Shall we go?"

The six cats trotted off as Bristlepaw feel into step beside Bramblepaw. The FlameClan apprentice smirked. "Hey, newbie."

"What?" Bristlepaw said, suddenly disconcerted.

Bramblepaw rolled her eyes. "Don't expect me to be all sweet-and-goodness to you just 'cause we're both medicine cats. I'm much older and I've worked hard to get where I am. So don't expect me to be your second mentor. Or your friend," she added, raising her chin haughtily and padding faster, leaving Bristlepaw with a bemused expression.

"Well then," she murmured as Stonefeather sent a glance over his shoulder.

Soon they approached the place where they would speak to StarClan – the glow-stone. Bristlepaw gave a little gasp as the moon hit the circular stone and started it started to glow, earning a contemptuous snort from Bramblepaw and an encouraging smile from Stonefeather.

"Press your nose to it and go to sleep. StarClan will visit you in your dreams," he whispered, and Bristlepaw nodded mutely, still in awe of the glowing rock.

The others took places around the rock and Bristlepaw went next to Stonefeather. She put her nose to the rock and fell into a deep sleep.

/\/\

Bristlepaw blinked her eyes open slowly. This forest was not her usual one. She pulled herself up, the silence scaring her. Where were the birds? The mice? Where was Stonefeather? Where _was_ she?

"Greetings, Bristlepaw," came a meow. Bristlepaw jumped a bit, whirling to see a black she-cat with glowing blue eyes pad up softly to her.

"Um... hello," Bristlepaw said, unable to identify the cat with stars dancing in her pelt.

"My name is Shadestar. I was the first leader of ShadeClan," the she-cat said, eyes gleaming with fierceness and pride.

"Oh! Wow!" Bristlepaw gasped, eyes widening. "I'm sorry, I didn't -"

"No worries. Most don't, and most never will," Shadestar said coolly.

"Do you visit every new apprentice's dreams?" Bristlepaw asked innocently.

"No, and neither do any of the other original leaders." Bristlepaw blinked. She blinked again.

"Then... why are you here?"

Shadestar took a breath. "Bristlepaw, everything you know... is not the truth."

Bristlepaw's vision swum. "What – what does that-"

"All will be revealed." _We hope,_ she seemed to add with her gaze. "The forest is in danger. Be on your guard. You are part of something much bigger than the ShadeClan medicine den, Bristlepaw. Much bigger." She touched her nose to Bristlepaw's, and the forest disappeared in a swirl of stars.

/\/\

"Bristlepaw, wake up." Stonefeather was nudging her, and Bristlepaw flew up in a flurry.

"Good dreams?" he said, eyes twinkling.

"Um, I... suppose," she murmured distractedly, looking at the ground.

_The forest is in danger._ Shadestar's words echoed in her ear.

Stonefeather watched her with concern.

"I'm fine," she assured her mentor as the other medicine cats awoke. Saying their formalities, they started to drift back to their relative Clans, Bristlepaw still in a daze.

_The forest is in danger. You are part of something much bigger than the medicine den._

/\/\

"They'll be here soon. What would be good names?" Forgotten whispered with excitement. Larria watched her friend titter nervously with a smile.

"Depends on their color, I suppose," she said softly, and Forgotten's face dropped.

"Yes." Things with the pure hunters had only gotten worse. Larria had protected Adder for a moon and a half or so, but now he knew the ropes well enough that he didn't have to be her shadow. She still worried about him, more attached to the new black tom than anybody else.

"They'll be here soon," she repeated, nudging her immensely swollen belly.

"Yes, so I've heard," chuckled Larria, batting playfully at Forgotten. "And I'm sure they'll be pure, what with Scragg being the father."

Forgotten's face dropped again, and Larria cringed. She managed to say all the wrong things. "Yes."

"Slave!" Larria turned her head to see Tallion call for her. She padded up meekly to the slim snow white she-cat.

"Where's the other one? The newest slave?" Tallion asked, eyes glittering maliciously.

"I don't know," Larria stated bluntly.

Tallion hit Larria over the head with claws unsheathed, Larria gritting her teeth in pain. "Where is it?"

"In the forest. Hunting," Larria muttered through clenched teeth.

"Excellent. He has been assigned to me, and I wish to – let's say – break him in." She gave a devilish grin and padded out of the camp.

Larria watched her leave, blood pounding through her ears. When a slave was assigned to a pure, the fighter often "broke them in" in a vicious attack, injuring them in some way to let other pures know they were assigned. Larria had avoided assignment – how, she didn't quite know. But if Adder was being assigned -

"You! Slave!" Scragg, the second-in-command, was padding out of Kestian's den. He gave Larria a fangy smile. "You have been assigned."

Larria's pale green gaze fell on the tom as she took in a breath of fear. Maybe she would get a kind master, like Echo or -

"Kestian will be your master." Scragg snickered. "Good luck."

**/\/\/\**

** I know that was a short bit about the pure hunters but just letting you know they're still up and at'em xP Again, I'll be on vacation til Sunday, so don't expect replies or updates! Thanks, and bye,**


	9. A Meeting

**Hello everybody! Wilder's back. And.. okay, I kinda lied. I didn't write over vacation, but can ya blame me? :P But I got this chapter up pretty quick... right? Trying to build tension and get to the action, sorry if it's taking forever.**

** /\/\**

Larria blinked.

She blinked again.

Kestian.

Kestian... was her _master._

She stood in shock as Scragg snickered softly, watching her with cold eyes. The second-in-command opened his mouth as if to say something, but a wail broke in.

"My kits! My kits! My kits are coming," screeched Forgotten as she stumbled into the cave, eyes wide with fright and terror.

"Forgotten," Larria gasped, running to her friend, who collapsed on the stone floor. "Somebody help. Does anyone know anything about healing?" she was frantic, desperate.

"I do," came a quiet voice. Nell, the new pure recruit, appeared, eyes wide.

"No! Leave the unpure to fend for herself," Scragg snarled, not concerned about the she-cat he had mated with.

"She will bring strong pure kits, and be able to bring even more if she survives," Nell argued, and Scragg hesitated before dipping his head.

"You speak the truth. Keep her alive." He sat down, watching the ongoings with semi-interest. He wanted to scoop up his kits – undoubtedly pure – before they were touched by the unpures.

Nell placed a paw on Forgotten's stomach as the tabby unpure went through convulsions. "Easy there," she said soothingly, "Now – push."

Forgotten let out a grunt of exertion as a tiny bundle of fur slid out onto the floor. Nell immediately started licking it, but Larria couldn't see its pelt color.

Forgotten went through convulsions again, straining her neck as another wet kit appeared behind her. Nell groomed this one, too, as Forgotten gasped for breath.

The first word she managed through her pants was, "Color? Color?"

Nell paused. "You have a beautiful white tom..."

Forgotten let out a quiet sigh of relief and Scragg's eyes glimmered in earnest.

"And what else?" questioned Larria, sure she had seen two kits.

Nell paused.

"And a black she-cat."

Forgotten's eyes flashed in fright. Scragg stayed stone-still. The cave fell silent. Tallion and Bianco, two fighters, stopped their grooming and watching the on-goings with narrowed, gleaming eyes. Kestian appeared from her den, watching Scragg with interest. Hadas, Pine, and Snow fell silent as they watched. Stultas stopped her paw in mid-air, Takilla, another slave, cowering under it. They both turned towards the center of the cave. Nobody moved. Nobody breathed.

Scragg slowly walked towards Forgotten. She trembled in fright. Scragg shoved Nell aside, looking at the two mewling piles of fur. He picked up the white tom, who screeched for its mother, and set it down near him. "Caspian," he named the kit with a low rumble of pride. "He will be mine."

Then he turned to the black she-cat. His eyes were filled with unimaginable, fiery hate. "This – this _thing,_" he snarled, claws sliding out, "It will die today!" He raised his unsheathed paw in the air.

"No!" screeched Larria, darting in and grabbing the she-cat by her scruff, bolting away before Scragg could land a blow. The white tom snarled in anger, launching himself at the slave, but Larria was smaller, and faster. She raced out the entrance, leaving Scragg to flounder, his bulky stature prohibiting him from following too closely.

"Come back here!" came a snarl, and Larria heard pawsteps running after her closely. She panted for breath, the kit in her mouth staying silent. She raced along the pure hunter's territory, heart beating frantically. She didn't know why, but she would _not_ let this kit die.

She ran so far she realized she was out of the pure hunter's territory. Sights and sounds were strange, and this made her more scared. She scented many cats, and ran faster.

Scragg was following closely behind, and Larria could hear his pants for breath. At last, he fell back, screeching, "You will come back with the kit. Then it will be mine."

Larria turned around, running blindly, to confirm the white tom was leaving.

Then she tripped on a rock and fell head-over-heels into a clearing, slamming her head on the ground and falling into black.

/\/\

Fernpaw blinked her eyes open slowly as moonlight filtered through the cracks in the apprentice's den. She shivered and raised her head. Lionpaw was a slumbering figure in the moss nest next to hers, while Mosspaw's blue-gray form was nearby. Fernpaw could just make out the ginger-white fur in the far, darkened corner that was Frostpaw. She stood quietly as to not wake Lionpaw, slipping out of the apprentice's den.

The dream she had had were disturbing, to say the least. Flashes of pictures, going in an out of focus – a white she-cat snarling over a smaller, dark tortoiseshell she-cat with a black tom watching with horror nearby – Clan cats lying dead in a pool of blood – the forest engulfed in darkness, and words echoing in her head.

** "**_Your forest is in danger, and there is nothing you can do to stop it. You are weak, useless. Surrender before we kill all of you... we will show no mercy."_

Last was the same tortoiseshell she-cat falling, falling, falling.

Then she had woken up with a start.

'The forest is in danger?' Well, what did she have to do with it? Maybe every cat had had a dream. Or maybe it was just the shrew she had eaten too late into the night. She grimaced, deciding to take a moonlight walk.

Swanfeather was guarding the entrance, and the white she-cat shot a hostile glare at the apprentice, not speaking. Fernpaw narrowed her eyes back at the warrior, disappearing into the night like a shadow.

She started to run, dodging trees and thorn bushes. She wasn't a MarshClan cat, but she did certainly love to run. The wind whipped in her face as she neared the Gathering place, the Four-Hills. Crickets sang a pretty, if not repetitive, melody in the tall grass near her as she slowed her pace to a walk, looking about her with wide eyes. The forest at night was magical.

She stopped. She was near the Four-Hills, in fact just on the outskirts of the clearing. Perking her ears, she tensed.

There was somebody there.

/\/\

Blazepaw hadn't slept well that night. The moon was too bright, and his mind was going too fast. He sat up eventually, being careful not to bump Breezepaw or Kestrelpaw, padding out of the apprentice's den and into the territory.

He looked up at the stars as he walked, contemplating everything. He wondered if that she-cat he had accidentally killed was up there in StarClan... he wondered if she would forgive him. He honestly didn't mean to, and he hoped she knew that.

He continued on, staying away from the more wet areas of the marsh. MarshClan's territory was flat, with only a few bare patches of trees. He could see all the way to Four-Hills, and he decided to make that his destination.

As he padded near it, he stopped. Tensed. Through a bush, he could hear something padding into the clearing. His fur bristled and his eyes went wide. There was somebody there.

He decided – he would pounce on whoever it was. They were closer to MarshClan, anyways, or maybe it was near FlameClan. He didn't know, he just knew he had to stop whoever it was now, before they could get into MarshClan's territory.

He took a breath, and pounced.

/\/\

Fernpaw decided. She would leap on whoever was there. They were closer to FlameClan – or maybe MarshClan. Either way, they were undoubtedly headed towards her, and she had to stop them before they could reach FlameClan.

She took a breath, and pounced.

A startled yowl came from the other side as Fernpaw collided heads-on with a dark ginger apprentice who was flying through the air straight towards her. They both fell to the ground, stunned.

Fernpaw lay on the ground for a bit before springing back up, fluffing up her fur and showing her fangs.

The other cat was a little slower in getting up. Finally he stood, turning and looking her straight in the eyes.

They both took a tiny step back in surprise.

_He's that MarshClan apprentice!_

/\/\

_She's that FlameClan apprentice!_

Blazepaw's head was throbbing from the impact, but his mind was hurting worse. What was _she_ doing here?  
>"What are you doing here?" he voiced his question, leaning back in an unpracticed defensive crouch.<p>

The black she-cat curiously said nothing, instead pinpointing him with her sharp green gaze.

"D-don't you even dare think that – that y-you can go on MarshClan territory," Blazepaw warned stutteringly, caught off-guard by her silence.

She snorted, lashing her tail towards another entrance to the Four-Hills. Blazepaw followed her tail, seeing FlameClan not too far away. He blinked.

"Oh... I guess you're thinking the same thing I am," he mumbled in embarrassment. He stood up, smoothing his fur down with a few quick licks. He turned back to the she-cat.

"Sorry 'bout that. I'm... uh, I'm Blazepaw," he stuttered. The she-cat's eyes glittered in amusement, and again he found himself mentally slapping himself. Introducing himself to an enemy Clan cat – what was he thinking?

Still she was silent, and he was even more unnerved. Then it hit him. He had seen her at the Gathering. She was a new apprentice – almost exactly his age.

"Hey, you're Fernpaw, right?"

/\/\

This stuttering apprentice was at the very least amusing her. He was so uncomfortable. She purred to herself silently.

"_Hey, you're Fernpaw, right?"_

She hesitated, then slowly dipped her head.

"Right! I saw you at the Gathering." Blazepaw seemed to brighten at the fact he had managed a few sentences without falling over himself.

Fernpaw smiled at him, and he relaxed even more.

"So why _are _you here anyways?" Blazepaw asked, sitting down.

Fernpaw just looked at him. He shifted.

"Why aren't you talking?"

Fernpaw shuffled her paws, looking at the forest floor.

"Are you mute?"

Fernpaw whipped her head up, glaring pointedly at the dark ginger tom and shaking her head violently. He leaned back.

"Okay, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You just don't like to talk?" he guessed again, and Fernpaw relaxed, nodding her head.

"Oh. That's cool. I don't usually like to talk either."

Fernpaw felt a rush of warmth through her pelt. Finally, a cat who understood her. Who didn't treat her differently because she didn't speak.

"So um, are you-"

Blazepaw cut off, suddenly crouching to the ground with a cry, his eyes going glossy suddenly, staring at nothing. Fernpaw let out a startled screech, falling backwards over herself.

What in StarClan's name...?

/\/\

"So um, are you-"

Suddenly a blinding flash flooded the clearing, and Blazepaw fell to the ground with a yowl. He gazed around, realizing the clearing, the four hills, and Fernpaw were all gone. He stood slowly, padding about the expanse of light.

"_Blazepaw," _came a sudden, deep voice. The apprentice gave a startled jump, looking around for the projector of the voice.

"_The forest is in danger. You must be prepared," _the tom's voice spoke again.

"The forest-? Wait!" he screeched as the light started to fade. He blinked, and he was back in the clearing, Fernpaw watching him with wide, somewhat frightened eyes.

"Did you see that? Did you hear that?" he questioned urgently, but the black she-cat shook her head slowly.

"There was this light. And – and this tom said the forest was in danger," Blazepaw blurted, thoroughly spooked.

Fernpaw's eyes widened and she nodded quickly, using her tail to point to her.

"What? You did see the light?"

/\/\

_No, you dolt!_ Fernpaw growled silently, rolling her eyes as she shook her head.

"What... you heard that tom too, then?" Blazepaw was utterly confused.

Fernpaw sighed, bracing herself as she opened her mouth and forced herself to speak.

"No, you mouse-brain. I had a dream too, and it said the same thing."

/\/\

Blazepaw was stunned. Fernpaw had spoken. And her voice was lovely, like silky-smooth honey floating through the air. But then she shut her mouth, and he could tell she was done talking.

"What does it mean? And why us?" he started pacing, gaze on the ground. Fernpaw shrugged, watching him.

He stopped, yawning widely and suddenly. "It's too late to think." He turned to Fernpaw, smiling half-heartedly and then awkwardly saying, "Say... what if we... meet back here sometime? Like, in a week or two," he added hurriedly, "Just in case we get any more dreams. I have a feeling we need to communicate."

/\/\

Fernpaw was stunned. Basically, he was asking her to sneak out of camp and meet a tom from another Clan in secret. But she knew if they both had the same dream, they had to. So she nodded, and Blazepaw let out a little smile.

"Okay. In seven sunrises, we'll meet back here to check up." Blazepaw hesitated awkwardly, front paw raised halfway in the air. "Say, Fernpaw -"

But Fernpaw was not about to exchange pleasant goodbyes with a MarshClan apprentice. She left before he could finish his thought, leaving him dumbstruck in the middle of the Four-Hills clearing and headed for home.

/\/\

Blazepaw watched Fernpaw's tail snake into the darkness and let out a little _huh._ He walked back to camp slowly, hoping none of her scent had rubbed off on her.

He had to admit it to himself. While he was concerned about their dreams, he wanted to see her again to see her again.

He walked back to camp in a daze.

Seven sunrises couldn't come fast enough.

/\/\

A dark ginger tom with darker tabby stripes sat, tail wrapped around his front paws. His gaze was fixated on the forest floor, and if you looked hard enough you could see stars dancing in his pelt.

"Flamestar." A dark, stone-gray tom appeared next to the ginger tom, who dipped his head.

"Stonestar," Flamestar mewed in return, dipping his head.

Stonestar ignored the nod. "They know now," the gray tom hissed angrily, eyes flashing.

"Even Wolfpaw?" Flamestar asked in surprise.

"Yes. Softpaw visited him without permission."

"Really," Flamestar mused.

"You would know. You sent a dream to Fernpaw!" hissed Stonestar.

"I did not," answered Flamestar quietly.

"Somebody in StarClan did. And now-"

"That dream was not from StarClan."

Stonestar paused, stunned. "The Dark Forest?"

"Not even there. The dream was from... somewhere else. Undoubtedly these white cats."

Stonestar moved his mouth open and closed as if trying to speak. As he floundered for words, a pretty white-and-tortoiseshell she-cat joined them, eyes narrowing.

"I still do not understand why we were so intent on keeping this a secret," she muttered, blue eyes flashing.

Stonestar rolled his eyes. "Marshstar, if the Clans find out too soon, they'll be slaughtered."

"I agree with Stonestar," came a smooth meow as a black she-cat appeared.

Marshstar narrowed her eyes. "Well, you shouldn't talk, Shadestar. You were the one who told your precious Bristlepaw."

"She is the medicine cat apprentice. _She_ deserves to know," snapped Shadestar. "Now, the obnoxious and impulsive Wolfpaw, on the other hand..."

"Wolfpaw is a fine cat and a good apprentice," hissed Stonestar, and Flamestar stepped in between the two bristling leaders.

"Listen to me, you two!" he snapped angrily. "We will get nowhere by bickering like queens." The two other leaders hesitated before calming down, keeping a wary eye on each other.

"Marshstar, you also sent a vision to Blazepaw," snarled Stonestar accusingly.

"That was not me. That was Sparkstar, the previous leader of MarshClan before Ravenstar, and he did it without my permission – though not without my later approval," replied Marshstar stiffly.

"Stonestar, this is unlike you," Flamestar chided gently, and the gray tom snorted.

"_Unlike me_," Stonestar muttered under his breath. "I mean, it's only the worst danger the forest has ever faced."

"The Clans have faced many dangers. I am certain my Clan will pull through," said Shadestar haughtily, pulling herself up to her full height.

"But never before has there been a threat greater than this," murmured Marshstar quietly.

"If one Clan survives, so will the others. If one Clan falls, the others will follow," Flamestar said prophetically.

"So what must we do?" Stonestar said. "We can't just sit around all day while these pure hunters gain recruits."

"And we will not!" Flamestar shot, eyes blazing. "We will watch the ones, and prepare the others. When the time is right, the four will meet and know."

"_Five_," said Marshstar as she looked through the ground towards the Clans.

The other leaders watched her curiously.

The tortoiseshell she-cat looked up firmly, eyes blazing.

"Five."

/\/\

**Mysterious! Who's the fifth cat? Anybody got a guess?**

**Review review review!**


	10. Belle

**So sorry for not posting in so long! Life is so busy, and I just couldn't think of what to write. Plus, I was dabbling in other areas of the fanfiction world. Anyways, here's your update...**

**p.s. Wow! So many reviewers for the last chapter! Thanks so much! A lot of you nailed it on the dot for the fifth cat, but there were a lot of guesses, and I won't tell you who's right! Now, on with the story.**

**/\/\/\/\**

Larria blinked open her eyes. She yawned, squinting at the soft morning sunlight that filtered through the trees. Birds chirped softly in the trees, and Larria smiled, closing her eyes, enjoying the peaceful moment.

Then memories crashed down on her, and she bolted up, looking frantically for the black she-kit. "Hey! Hey, where are you?" she whispered heatedly, whipping around.

With a sigh of relief, she heard a tiny mew coming from near a large oak tree. She padded cautiously up to it to see a bundle of black fur nestled next to the bark.

"Hey. Wake up," she whispered softly, nudging her. The kit's fur being pure black, all Larria could see were faint silvery-gray whiskers lying on the ground. The she-cat stirred.

Then her eyes flew open, revealing pretty light-brown eyes. She blinked up at Larria, who was stunned. She hadn't ever seen a kit open their eyes that early.

"Hey, you," she whispered softly. The she-cat yawned innocently, looking up at her savior.

"Get up." Larria nudged her again, and the tiny kit obliged, padding out from her nook and looking about her in wonder.

"Are you my mother?" words suddenly flew from the kit's mouth, soft and sweet. Larria stood stock-still. How long had she been out for this kit to be able to talk and walk?

"No," she said gentle, "I'm your – um, I'm your big sister."

"Oh!" she said with a tiny squeal, watching Larria with dancing amber eyes. Then her eyes clouded. "Um... I can't remember your name. Or my name."

"I'm Larria," the tortoiseshell prompted, and the black cat shrugged. "You don't have a name yet."

"Oh. Why not? Can you give me one?" she pranced up to Larria, putting her front paws on her "big sister's" paws, looking up at her innocently. "Pleeeeeease?"

"Fine, fine," Larria chuckled. "You'll be... Belle."

"Belle," the she-cat said, tasting the word on her tongue. "I like it. It's pretty." She did a little hopping dance, giggling sillily.

"Welcome to the forest, Belle," Larria said grandly, dipping her head in a mock bow. Belle giggled.

Then her brown eyes clouded and she said, "Who were those white cats?"

Larria was silent. Then she waved her tail and started walking. "Walk with me, Belle. We have a lot to talk about."

The tiny black kit frowned, trotting after her. They padded along in silence for a little while.

"Those white cats are very, very bad cats," Larria finally broke the silence. "They have this twisted mindset that your fur has to be white to be good. They don't like you and me because our fur is... well, different."

"Oh," said Belle in a small voice. "I understand, but why?"

"Well... I think they want to feel powerful. And this is a way to get power," Larria struggled to explain. Belle obviously didn't understand.

"So, can we go back?" Belle asked.

"No," Larria answered quickly, and Belle flinched. "At least, you can't. There are... some cats... who don't like you at all. And if I brought you back... they wouldn't be nice to you," she finished lamely.

"Okay," Belle said. She was too young to understand what Larria was implying. "So where will I stay?"

"Here," said Larria, stopping abruptly and craning her neck to look at a tree. It was a large mature oak, the tops of it ruffling in the breeze, and halfway up the trunk it sported a good-sized hollow where a squirrel had once resided – perfect for a kit as little as Belle.

"Do you think you can climb-" before Larria could finish Belle was a flash of black, clambering up the tree quickly. She disappeared inside the tree, poking her head out and calling, her voice quieted from the distance, "It's cozy!"

Larria purred softly. "I'll be back sometime tomorrow," she called up to the kit, shifting. "With some food."

"YAY!" came a soft, distant squeal before Belle disappeared inside the tree.

Larria started trotting home, dreading her return to the pure hunter's camp. It was a long walk back, too. At least she had time to work on her story.

/\/\

"I'm sure that Larria is fine, Forgotten. And your kit, too," Adder said falteringly to the distraught light brown queen.

"But Scragg – and -" Forgotten fell into anguished whimpers again. The previous night, Scragg had returned from chasing the runaway duo alone. His face was grim, and he had disappeared immediately into Kestian's den.

"They will be fine," Adder said more firmly. "Larria is better than that piece of filth." He said the last part softer, as to not attract the attention of Tallion, the white she-cat sitting nearby.

"Let's face it. They're probably both dead," came a rasping mew. Adder turned with a start to see an elderly gray she-cat limp out from the shadows, light brown eyes glinting harshly.

"No cat survives Scragg. They're both dead. Live with it," she continued hoarsely, voice harsh and croaky. Forgotten started to sob.

"You can't even _try_ to help, Ice?" Adder hissed.

The gray she-cat's broken figure tensed. "She has no need to grieve. I have lost more kits than I dare to count. Killed. Chased away. Only two I know not for sure the fate of, and they are sure to be dead now." Ice took a shaky breath. "She will bring all of us to harm with her loudness. She must be silent."

Grudgingly, Adder had to admit he agreed with her. But he wasn't going to tell Forgotten that.

A figure appeared in the entrance. Small. Dark. Adder whipped his head around, focusing on the new arrival. His heart pounded as she stepped into the light.

Larria.

"Larria!" he cried, rushing across to her. She tensed, dropping into the shadows and whipping her head about. Nobody seemed to have noticed the outburst.

"Shut up, you dolt," she hissed. "You _want_ Scragg to come and butcher me?"

"No, no, of course not, I'm sorry, it's just -" he suddenly, impulsively, shoved his muzzle into her fur, saying softly, "We thought you were dead."

She froze in shock, and Adder took a few steps backward, looking away in embarrassment when he realized what he had done. "I'm, uh-" he started, but was interrupted as Forgotten called to Larria hoarsely.

"Larria!" she called, her voice raw. "Where's – where's my kit?"

Larria hesitated, and grief and – was that guilt? - flashed across her face. "I'm sorry, Forgotten." she dropped her head. "The kit's dead."

/\/\

**I know it was kind of short, I'm sorry! I'm back to writing, so you can expect more updates soon.**


	11. Secrets and Spies

**Hey everyone, I'm back with a (faster + longer) update. :)**

** Better do the disclaimer, haven't done it in a while.**

** Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors. I do own everything else. **

** /\/\**

Bristlepaw blinked opened her eyes and stood, stretching and yawning widely. The dark dampness of the medicine cat's den, a cave outcropped in stone, seemed to depress her, push her into a corner. It had been moons and moons since she had first become a medicine cat's apprentice, and she couldn't say she liked it – nor hated it. It was rather dull at times, exciting in others, and Bristlepaw was always afraid of disappointing her mentor, Stonefeather.

The dream she had received from the black she-cat, Shadestar, stuck with her every day. She found herself watching for danger, tensing every time somebody yowled, spinning around with fur bristling if somebody snuck up from behind her. Dustpaw was noticing the difference, and prodding her about it.

Actually, he wasn't anymore, after their argument.

"Paranoid much?" he had grumbled one day when Bristlepaw had spun, bristling and hissing, as Dustpaw came up from behind.

"Sorry," Bristlepaw had murmured apologetically, looking at her paws. "Things are just..."

"I guess being a medicine cat makes everything _so_ much more dangerous," Dustpaw said, rolling his eyes.

Bristlepaw looked at her brother with pained eyes. "Why do you always mock me about that?" she muttered, narrowing her eyes.

"Why do you think? We were supposed to do everything together, become warriors together, fight off all the FlameClan warriors together, until you decided to take that blasted path as a medicine cat," Dustpaw hissed, narrowing his eyes back at her. "Now all you can talk about are stupid herbs and stupid dreams. And you always act so high and mighty because you're the _medicine cat._"

"I do not," Bristlepaw said, insulted.

"I don't know why I keep hanging around you. You're boring and dull, medicine cat, _ma'am,_" he said with a scoff and a roll of his eyes. Then he stalked away, tail lashing out behind him.

Bristlepaw sighed as the memory of that day played through her mind. Every since then, the two siblings hadn't spoken. She looked over across the camp, where Flamepaw and Dustpaw were sitting, talking and laughing. She looked at the ground dejectedly.

"Why so down?" Bristlepaw looked up to see a white she-cat approaching.

"Hey, Snowpaw. It's nothing, I guess. It's just... Dustpaw," Bristlepaw grumbled, scuffing at the ground.

"Guess what? We're going to be made warriors soon – Flamepaw and I," Snowpaw chattered on, completely ignoring Bristlepaw's comments. "I want my warrior name to be Snowsparkle."

"_Snowsparkle_?" Bristlepaw said incredulously.

"What? It's a _cute_ name," Snowpaw chirped. "Oh, and do you have a herb for keeping my pelt shiny and pretty? It always gets dirty! I love it, but I hate it! I guess you wouldn't know what I mean, your pelt doesn't ever show dirt on it, 'cause you're all tortoiseshell. Lucky. But I'd choose a white pelt over tortoiseshell any day, it really accents my eyes, don'tcha think?" Snowpaw went to cleaning her pelt vigorously.

"Um, I'd better go, look for some herbs," Bristlepaw muttered, edging away from the apprentice. She broke away from Snowpaw, who didn't look up from her grooming, shuddering. _Snowsparkle?_ Really?

"Hey, Bristlepaw. Do you want help with collecting herbs?" came a call. Fallentree, the deputy, appeared from the warrior's den, looking at the medicine cat apprentice.

"Sure. Could always use some help," Bristlepaw said.

"Great! Ravenpaw, Featherpaw! Go help Bristlepaw!" The two newly-made apprentices were Fallentree's kits. The black she-cat and the gray-and-white she-cat appeared, padding over to Bristlepaw.

"Okay. Let's go," Bristlepaw said to the younger apprentices. She bounded out of the clearing, Ravenpaw and Featherpaw following close behind.

"It's nearing leaf-fall, so I figured we'd go grab some catmint before it withers," Bristlepaw called over her shoulder as she continued to run. "It's near the FlameClan border, so be careful."

Mumbles of assent came from both the apprentices, and Bristlepaw directed them northwards, towards the topmost part of the border between FlameClan and ShadeClan.

As the dark pines began to thin out, the trio came into a meadow. The FlameClan scent border was very close, so the three apprentices tread carefully. Bristlepaw approached the fallen log that harbored catmint underneath, burrowing underneath it and gently removing catmint from under. She heard Ravenpaw and Featherpaw chatting behind her.

"The Gathering's coming up!" Featherpaw said with a little titter, bouncing up and down.

"Yeah," Ravenpaw said, shuffling her paws.

"Don't you hope you'll go? It only comes once a moon, on the full moon," Featherpaw continued. "I hope I go. I can't wait to see _all the Clans._ Imagine being a leader, sitting on the top of one of the Hills and announcing the news of the Clans!" she shivered in excitement.

"Yeah, yeah," Ravenpaw muttered. "It's nothing new."

"But it _is!_"

"That's enough catmint. Ravenpaw, could you bring this back to camp? Featherpaw, I need you to come help me with some herbs down near the Four-Hills. It's a two-cat job."

"Okay!" squeaked Featherpaw as Ravenpaw silently picked up the catmint and bounded away.

Bristlepaw paused for a second, turning her head to look at the log again. She shivered.

She had the strangest feeling they were being watched.

She shook it off, certain she was just being paranoid again, and bounded away, Featherpaw following close behind.

/\/\

From the bushes near the fallen log, two sets of eyes blinked into view. If one was to look further, one would see two small-sized white cats peering out of the thick bramble bushes intently, claws digging into the earth.

"Kestian will be pleased to hear this news," hissed the she-cat.

"Indeed, Stultas." The white tom purred in dark pleasure, narrowing his eyes. _And perhaps now I will be fully accepted, even though I have some orange on me, _the tom thought, twitching his orange-tipped ear. Swindle – for this was the tom's name – had but one desire in life; to be accepted into the pure hunters. And here, at last, was his chance.

"Let us return," Swindle hissed, and simultaneously the two cats turned and sprinted away. Through forest and moors they went, wind whipping through their fur. The two cats had been gone for days, spying on the Clans and searching for any information. Now they had some; all four Clans met on the full moon in a place called the Four-Hills.

Finally they reached the place of the pure hunters. They entered the camp, heads held high. A flurry of activity was going in the camp; slaves running to meet their masters, kits practicing battle moves under the eye of Scragg; a tom picking out an unpure and leading her out of the cave, tail draped across her back. Stultas and Swindle went straight to Kestian's den, entering slowly. They could hear voices drifting out of the stone outcropping.

"This will teach you to disobey me!" came a snarl, followed by a whimper from another cat. Swindle's eyes adjusted to the dark as he saw their leader, Kestian, towering over a small tortoiseshell slave.

"Excuse me, Kestian," Swindle said, dropping his head in respect as Stultas followed suit. Kestian froze, paw held in mid-blow, as she focused her gaze on the two pure ones.

"We have valuable information about the Clans," Stultas said quietly, her voice melodic and soft.

Kestian kicked at the slave, knocking her towards the entrance. "Leave, slave. I have no more need for you now." The dark she-cat stood and limped out, shooting hateful and scared glances Swindle and Stultas's way. Swindle watched her go the the outskirts of camp, sitting down next to a black tom, who started cleaning her wounds. Swindle was entranced. Did slaves truly have feelings, too?- impossible!

"Speak," Kestian commanded, breaking Swindle out of his dreamy state.

"We heard a couple of young ones talking. Apparently, the four Clans meet once a moon on the full moon, in a place called the Four-Hills. Not all cats attend," Swindle added, remembering that the gray she-cat had been _hoping_ to go, "But all important ones do, and most others."

Kestian's green eyes gleamed in excitement. "Excellent!" she said. "The full moon is two sunrises from now. We will make our appearance then."

Stultas seemed to wither. "Are you sure we have the cats for this, Kestian?" she asked softly, eyes narrowing in concern.

"Of course we do. We are trained to kill. One of us is worth five of their cats. And besides, we have had new recruits since you have been gone." Kestian's eyes glittered. "And they certainly are ready to kill."

"Really? Who?" Swindle asked with curiosity.

Kestian motioned out of the cave with her tail. Swindle turned to see a cluster of new cats in a circle, leaping and clawing at each other, practicing fighting. "The toms are Clift, Gray, Antler, Moor, and Beetle. The she-cats are Lichen, Moon, Fawn, Clover, and Birch, and all are trained and ready to fight. In addition, the pure kits Raene and Eagle have reached the age of readiness. The two pures passed their test with ease."

Swindle's grinned fangily. "Which unpure did they kill?"

Kestian chuckled. "The best part. They killed their own brother, the one named Mud, who was dark brown, unpure. At nine moons, they are now accepted fighters. I must say, that Raene certainly is a cunning one. She may take my place as leader one day. And Scragg's son, Caspian, he is not yet of age but approaching it swiftly. So you see, dear Stultas, we will most definitely be ready."

Swindle and Stultas dipped their heads in respect, backing out of Kestian's cave. Cats sent admiring glances Swindle's way, and the tom swelled up with pride. He knew he was now fully accepted, and there wasn't anything he'd want more.

/\/\

_Just a little bit further... pounce._

Wolfpaw flew through the air, landing on the mouse and snapping its neck with a bite. It had been a clumsy catch, but a successful one. He stood up on the large, flat slab of stone, surprised that the mouse had been there.

"Can _you_ say clumsy?" came a scornful scoff. Wolfpaw stiffened as Swiftstride jumped onto the stone. Snickers followed him as Darknight and Tinypaw appeared by his side.

"Oh, joy. It's the Mouse-Brained Brigade," Wolfpaw snarled at the warrior, wrinkling his nose distastefully. "Did you roll in something? Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot that you naturally reek."

Darknight growled. "Stupid apprentice. You don't know the first thing about... well, _anything._"

Tinypaw snickered. "The way _you_ hunt, you're _bound_ to stay an apprentice til you're old enough to be an elder!"

Swiftstride chuckled. "Imagine – a fully grown cat without a warrior name! Wolfpaw forever!"

"Just because you were made a warrior two full moons after your siblings doesn't mean everyone does, Stupidstride," Wolfpaw fired with a devilish grin. Swiftstride stiffened, eyes narrowing. "How did you-"

"Having a leader for a mentor isn't a bad thing," Wolfpaw managed to get in before Swiftstride was flying through the air, straight at Wolfpaw. Wolfpaw dodged and Swiftstride went tumbling onto the rocks. Wolfpaw had time only for a scornful snicker before he felt a crumpling weight on his back, and he was knocked to the ground as Darknight pounced on his back. Snarling, he battered at the warrior with his hind legs, and felt Darknight's weight lift off of blinked, startled. Did he kick that hard? But when he turned, he saw that somebody else had come to his rescue, pulling Darknight off of him.

It was Thunderstar.

"What is going on here?" the silver tabby snarled, glaring at the three cats. Tinypaw shuffled her paws as Swiftstride and Darknight both picked themselves up, looking at the ground.

"I said, what is going on here?" Thunderstar said again, voice dangerously low as he pointed his glare at Wolfpaw. Wolfpaw stood up straight, meeting his leader's gaze. "Wolfpaw?"

Wolfpaw hesitated, then started to speak, but Swiftstride jumped in. "Thunderstar, we were trying to give Wolfpaw hints on his hunting, but he got offended and angry, and started insulting us, and he jumped at us before we could react. And Darknight was just trying to defend me."

Thunderstar turned his gaze to Tinypaw and Darknight. "Is that what happened?" The two nodded vigorously. Thunderstar looked at Wolfpaw.

"Wolfpaw?"

Wolfpaw looked at Swiftstride, who glared at him viciously. He didn't know what to do; tell the truth and he would be slaughtered, confess to something he didn't do and be punished.

"Actually, don't answer that," Thunderstar said suddenly, turning to the other warriors. "Wolfpaw here has more dignity and courage than all of you combined. I saw the whole thing, Swiftstride, and the fact that my own warriors would lie to me is something I am shocked and ashamed of." He turned to Darknight and Tinypaw. "And to go along with the lie is just as bad. I put Darknight and Swiftstride on apprentice duty for the next two weeks, cleaning the elder's dens and freeing them of ticks. Tinypaw, you will help them. None of you will go to the Gathering."

"But, Thunderstar-" Swiftstride started to whine, but Thunderstar interrupted.

"No 'But, Thunderstar's here. That's final. Now hurry up and get back to camp. I'm sure Berryfire will have some mouse bile ready for you."

Tinypaw pulled a face as they shuffled away silently. Then Thunderstar turned to Wolfpaw.

"You're not entirely of no fault, either, Wolfpaw."

"I know," Wolfpaw said quietly, looking at his paws. "I'm sorry."

Thunderstar hesitated for a long moment. Wolfpaw looked up.

"That's what makes you different from them, Wolfpaw. When you make a mistake, you admit it and apologize. That's why I'm letting you off this time." Thunderstar gave his apprentice a little grin.

Wolfpaw smiled back, but felt a crashing weight on his shoulders. "Thunderstar, why does it seem like everyone in StoneClan is against me?" He felt like breaking down and sobbing right there, but he didn't. "My own Clanmates are attacking me. Did I do something wrong?"

Thunderstar sighed. He seemed to be holding the same burden as Wolfpaw. "You're just... different, Wolfpaw. And people don't like different." He turned, claws scraping the hard granite stone. "Let's get back to camp."

Wolfpaw trotted after his mentor, mind still buzzing and whirling.

He was different, but how?

/\/\

**Poor Wolfpaw! :( Stay tuned for more. Remember, this is a few moons after Belle. Next chapter: The pure hunters make their appearance! -dramatic music plays-**


	12. The Appearance

**Who's excited for school? :P I got the hardest teachers, so updates might be slower since I'll be busy with schoolwork. **

**/\/\**

Fernpaw blinked hard as the FlameClan cats flooded into Four-Hills. There were many cats – so many cats – more than she had remembered from moons ago. She found herself looking through the MarshClan cats, looking for the dark ginger apprentice she had grown to know.

Fernpaw and Blazepaw had been meeting at the Four-Hills for moons since they first met. Nothing had really... _happened_ between them. They mostly told any news they had had about the dreams (usually nothing), then sat and communicated for a while. Sometimes one of them would bring some prey from their territory. Unfortunately, Fernpaw was made to try a swampy frog (which she immediately spat out in disgust, much to Blazepaw's dismay), and Blazepaw was forced to try a blackbird that only roosted in FlameClan's oaks.

(He was just as disgusted, though politer about spitting it out.)

She soon spotted him, but quickly looked away. Lionpaw and Mosspaw had been getting suspicious about her prolonged "night hunting", and if they knew she was meeting a MarshClan tom...

_It's not like there's anything between us! It's just... if the forest _is_ in danger and somehow we're connected, we have to keep in touch._ Fernpaw told herself this all the time in order to convince herself to keep meeting Blazepaw.

She watched as Aspenstar leaped onto the FlameHill. She stumbled a bit and staggered a few steps forward, onto the area where the four hills met and made a large platform. The other leaders who were already congregated glared at her. She took a few steps back in embarrassment onto her own portion. ShadeClan had not yet shown.

"Hey there!" came a chipper call. Fernpaw looked sharply to see a ginger tom padding towards her. He smelled of StoneClan. She dipped her head cautiously.

"I'm Sunpaw," said the tom. Fernpaw flicked her tail awkwardly.

"Hi! I'm Lionpaw, and this is Fernpaw," Lionpaw said as padded up next to his sister.

"You're from FlameClan?" Sunpaw said with a tiny smirked.

"Um, yes. I can tell you're from StoneClan," Lionpaw said, somewhat caught off-guard by his haughty tone.

"FlameClan reeks. I can't believe you can live in that awful forest. All I can smell whenever I get near you is mouse guts and fox's dung," Sunpaw snickered meanly. A chuckle came from far behind him as a brown tom watched Sunpaw, eyes glinting.

"That's uncalled for," Lionpaw said, reasonably hurt, and Fernpaw flinched as a voice exploded from over her head.

"_FlameClan_ reeks? I think you're getting our scent mixed up with yours, mouse-for-brains," Mosspaw said loudly as she appeared. Her eyes flashed.

"Well, I need to go. Wouldn't want to be caught communicating with those of inferior intelligence," Sunpaw quipped as the apprentice trotted away with a sneer written across his face.

Fernpaw burned with anger. Impudent little-

"Sorry about that," came a hasty, embarrassed mew. Fernpaw shook her head clear of murderous thoughts and fixed her gaze on a shaggy gray tom, quickly padding up to them.

"Sunpaw's an idiot. Luckily Tinypaw's not here, or you would have heard even more of that fox-dung," he muttered, eyes flashing around nervously. "I'm Wolfpaw. I'm their... brother."

"Okay, goodbye," Mosspaw said shortly, turning and padding away. Lionpaw rolled his eyes.

"Nice to meet you, Wolf-" he started, but was interrupted as a flood of ShadeClan cats entered the clearing. Lilystar jumped onto her Hill, and her voice rang out around the Gathering-Place.

"Let the Gathering begin! ShadeClan will start with our report. Luckily the past moon has gone by uninterrupted, and we have had a peaceful rest. Prey is running exceptionally well, and as leaf-fall quickly approaches we are more than ready for the trials it will bring." Lilystar sat, cold eyes flickering around the cats and chilling many an apprentice who dared to make eye contact with her.

Ravenstar stood to speak. "MarshClan has-"

A murmur flew through the crowd, gathering in strength near the opposite side of the clearing. _What's going on? _Fernpaw thought, craning her neck to see what the hubbub was about.

"MarshClan is-" Ravenstar tried to speak again, but the voices got louder. Suddenly cats surged away from an opening into the Four-Hills, parting to make a path towards the Four-Hills. Fernpaw still couldn't see.

_What in StarClan's name is happening?_

Suddenly a flood of white burst into the clearing. Shocked yowls echoed through the Clans, warriors leaping out and tensing, their claws unsheathed, as white cats flooded into the clearing. Fernpaw froze in shock as one, a slender white she-cat, gracefully bounded up onto the Four-Hills, standing directly in the center of the clearing. She raised her tail, and the white cats froze, watching up at her with gleaming eyes.

The clearing was still.

Then an explosion of sound.

"What in StarClan's name-" Aspenstar screeched, flying to her paws and bristling her fur. Lilystar growled, narrowing her eyes as Ravenstar's old figure tensed and Thunderstar simply sat and watched the on-goings.

"Cats of the Clans!" the she-cat's name sent shivers up and down Fernpaw's spine. She blinked hard. She blinked again.

_She knew this cat's voice._

"My name is Kestian."

"What kind of name is Kestian?" came a call, followed by many scornful snickers. The white she-cat whirled and immediately pinpointed the caller, a light ginger she-cat who immediately shrunk as they made eye contact. The clearing fell still again.

"My name is Kestian. I lead a group of cats called the pure hunters." Kestian started pacing, pinpointing many cats with her emerald gaze. "\Many, many moons ago, these Clans did a great injustice to us. Generations later, we are back, stronger and more ready to fight than you will ever be."

Fernpaw's gaze locked with Kestian's. The white she-cat froze. Fernpaw's eyes widened as Kestian's gaze seemed to bore into her soul.

A long moment passed before Kestian looked away. "We mean you no harm, unless you resist. Surrender now and all of you will be spared. You will be put to work in our forces, as unpures or... workers."

Murmurs came from all places. "_Unpures?" "What does this mean?"_

"Of course, there's always another option." Kestian shrugged, as if indifferent. "You can try to save your precious forests. Any who resist will be slaughtered."

Her claws slid out as she snarled her next words. "Killed with no mercy!"

She continued to pace among the shocked leaders. "My fighters are worth ten of your warriors." She turned to her group of white cats. "_Scragg!"_

A large, white tom bounded up with surprising ease next to his leader. He grinned fangily around him.

"Send your best warrior! Scragg will strike them down!" Kestian proclaimed loudly.

"Forget this! Let's show them what real warriors are made of!" Fernpaw turned to see the voice, a grayish-white tom from StoneClan. He flew up the hill, flying at Scragg, hissing, claws outstretched.

Without a flinch, Scragg sent out a lightning-fast paw. The tom flew backwards and crumpled to the ground, unmoving.

The whole of the Clans were still.

"We give you two moons. Then we will return, on this night. All who resist will be killed," Kestian said simply.

Then she lashed her tail.

Fernpaw blinked, and they were gone.

Silence reigned.

Then, an explosion of sound.

"What will we do?"

"Lilystar, what happened?"

"Who _are_ they?"

Chaos engulfed the clearing until finally, Thunderstar stood and roared for quiet.

"SILE-!" he boomed.

Then something incredible happened.

The clearing was suddenly engulfed in a foggy mist. Fernpaw whipped her head around to see the reactions of her Clanmates, but they didn't move.

They.

Didn't.

Move.

Mosspaw was frozen mid-yell, her jaws wide open and fur impossibly bristled. Lionpaw had an uncertain, shell-shocked expression, and she could see Stormblaze, his front paws in the air. All around her were statues - gray-painted, frozen statues.

Then a voice came from the Four-Hills.

She whipped her head up to see a flame-colored tom appear from the mist, the only colored thing for as far as she could see. He was looking at her intently through wise amber eyes.

"Fernpaw. The danger you know has come. You must find the others."

"But who?" she spoke out, her voice ringing around the Clearing. She shuddered as she spoke.

"You have already met two of the other three. You will find each other. Of this, I am certain."

She shivered. Two of the three?

"You are the purest of all, Fernpaw. Remember this."

Then he disappeared.

_No! Wait!_

The fog rolled back, and color returned to the forest.

"-NCE!" finished Thunderstar, and the clearing fell still.

"This Gathering is over! Go back to your camps!" he growled loudly. The other leaders were quick to agree, and soon the Clans were filtering back to their camps.

_No. I have to find Blazepaw._ She was certain he was one of the other three. She spotted his ginger coat with a flush of relief. He was fighting through the crowd, searching desperately for her. She waved her tail as they made eye contact, motioning towards a bush on the side of the clearing. They ducked behind the bushes, breathing heavily.

"Did you see that? The fog, and they – everyone was frozen, and then- this gray tom – and they were-" Fernpaw put her tail over his mouth, eyes warning him to be quiet. She nodded quickly, confirming that she knew what he was talking about.

"He said I had to find the others. That I had already met one," he nodded at her, "And that I knew another. I don't know what that means."

"What are you doing back here?" came am unrecognizable growl. Fernpaw stiffened in fear as a figure pushed through the bushes...

...it was Wolfpaw.

She relaxed, but Blazepaw's eyes widened in fear.

"I saw you coming back here, Fernpaw, and I wondered if you had seen-" then his eyes fixed on Blazepaw. Unexplainable emotions rushed through his eyes. Fernpaw watched him in bewilderment.

"You!" he finally snarled, launching himself at Blazepaw. The tom rolled to the floor, hissing and scratching, until Fernpaw pushed in between the two of them, glaring ferociously at the two toms. Wolfpaw was breathing heavily, eyes aflame with hate, and Blazepaw was staggering backwards.

"Stop it, both of you!" she said sharply, wincing as she heard her voice. "You're acting like kits! Wolfpaw, I think you saw what we both saw, too, so grow up and listen. If this is real, we have a lot more problems than whatever quarrel you two have. Make up and _get over it,_ for StarClan's sake!"

Wolfpaw didn't affirm her words, but he slowly relaxed his tensed muscles, still keeping an eye on Blazepaw. Blazepaw, on the other hand, was looking at Fernpaw oddly.

"You talked again." He said the words in awe, almost reverently. Fernpaw rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"Only when it's important, you idiot. Now listen, we need to find the last cat. Who saw the mist, and the leader. Once we find them, we can-"

"I think you've found her," a quiet mew floated across the air. Fernpaw turned to see a tortoiseshell she-cat squeezing through the bushes. She smelled of ShadeClan.

Wolfpaw rolled his eyes. "Oh, great," he said sarcastically, "A cat from each Clan. To make it almost _worse,_ one happens to be a useless medicine cat," he pointed this at the newcomer, who wilted, "And one is a _murderer._" This was most obviously directed at Blazepaw, who flinched.

"I didn't mean to kill her..." he whispered hoarsely, but Fernpaw was not interested in this.

"What is your name?" she asked the tortoiseshell hastily.

"I'm Bristlepaw," she said quietly.

"Bristlepaw, Blazepaw, Wolfpaw. Listen. We need to meet again, but we need to leave – now. Our Clans will get suspicious if we are gone for too long. Say _nothing _to _anyone,_ and if you hear _anything_ else, report it when we next meet, in ten sunrises. We need to figure out what this all has to do with us." Fernpaw looked around to make sure everyone understood. Blazepaw was chuckling.

"That's the most I've ever heard you talk, Fernpaw."

"Don't get used to it. It hurts to talk." There, she had said it. "Not physically, but... it hurts." She pushed past a bewildered Blazepaw, her back to the three others. She turned at the exit. The other three were looking at her.

"Somehow, we're connected. I don't know how, but we are – and we need to find out why. I'll see you in ten days," she said, and then she was gone.

/\/\

**I'm going to do my best to get you an update every weekend. Life is sooooo busy. Also sorry if this was really bad or had a lot of typos. I'm really tired. Please review! Thanks.**


	13. Looks like a Storm

**I'm so sorry for not updating sooner. I was sick all week. I know, I know... "Why weren't you writing as you were laying home all week?" I was, and I actually wrote a whole nother chapter. (Is nother a word? o.e ) But I need some feedback before I post it, and it might go through ****major**** editing based on what you guys want. I'll elaborate later. **

** Nothing else much happens in this chapter, but a new conflict is aroused. **

** Enjoy!**

** /\/\**

_Fernpaw_.

Her outburst of the previous night had stunned, even shocked Blazepaw – and he didn't know why. It just seemed so – odd. Her green eyes, alight with fire as she forcefully commanded the others around, making decisions, keeping them focused, being so – _un-Fernpaw._

And he didn't even understand why he was spending so much time on it. She had an out-of-character moment, you could say. She spoke. What was so crazy about that, and why couldn't he get her off his mind?

Maybe he was being overly dramatic. Maybe seeing Wolfpaw – that was the crazy gray guy's name – had shaken him to the point of his mind desperately trying to find another thought to dwell on. And Fernpaw had been the closest living being there.

But secretly, though he tried to deny it, lock it far away in the part of him that nobody ever saw, he knew it was because of something else.

He was supposed to be hunting. And he was trying, but his mind wouldn't let him. His eyes saw a mouse scampering away, but his mind thought it was Fernpaw's black tail snaking into the shade. His eyes saw a reflection of the dim, almost-leaf-fall sun reflection off a puddle of marshy water, and his mind thought it was Fernpaw's emerald eyes glimmering at him from behind a brush of reeds. He had the FlameClan apprentice on his mind, and she wasn't leaving for anything.

Finally he stopped trying. He sat down near a larger puddle of water, almost a lake, and looked at his reflection keenly. Maybe the water would tell him something. A raindrop disturbed the surface of the water and sent ripples to the farthest edges of the puddle-lake. Blazepaw craned his neck upwards to see threatening storm-clouds hanging over his head, and sighed. Thunder crackled in the distance and he knew he should go back to camp.

But he didn't. Not for a little while. He kept looking at the puddle-lake in front of him, at his short, thick dark ginger fur with scattered smears of marsh-mud, and sighed.

_Fernpaw will never love me._

The thought startled him. Where did that come from?

_Why do I care if she won't love me? I certainly don't love her. She's – she's FlameClan, and she's – not – she's just – it's – but – and I can't – MarshClan – it's my home, and I can't just give it up for anyone – but – Fernpaw – I just – I can't – what if she – what if _I – _how could we – no, but I don't love her -_

Thoughts, words, swirling in his head, louder than the thunder now booming over his head. He looked up desperately at the water held inside gray-black clouds and begged it to stay up there.

It didn't, and he was immediately drenched.

_Now I need to go. _Floods in MarshClan were common, and now his puddle-lake was starting to fill up as rain fell in buckets down on the landscape. He picked his way up and struggled through the fierce winds and rain flowing now in torrents as he tried to see through the haze. He stumbled and fell, hearing a _crack _as his leg hit a stone. He groaned, and his sight went blurry with pain.

"_Blazepaw! Blazepaw, where are you?" _He heard the call from a distance, and looked up to see a blurry dark figure pushing through the rain towards him.

"Fernpaw?" he mumbled disconcertedly. "Why are you here, you need to be in FlameClan."

"Why would I be in FlameClan? Great StarClan, what happened to you?" No, the voice was a tom's. He peered through the haze of pain and made out that it was Falconwing.

"Falconwing – my leg -" Blazepaw gritted his teeth as a fresh wave of pain flew through his body.

"_Smallwhisker, Blazepaw's hurt! I need help!" _yelled his dark-furred mentor over his shoulder. A gray she-cat appeared at his side.

"No, it's okay, I can-" Blazepaw stumbled up, hobbling forward on three legs hesitantly. Falconwing steadied him on one side as Smallwhisker took the other. Blazepaw wrinkled his face as rain blew in his face, lowering his head and stumbling forward through the rain.

It wasn't until they reached camp when he collapsed.

**/\/\**

So, it had been a crazy night. Wolfpaw had fallen asleep immediately upon returning, and the morning brought with it questions.

_Lots_ of questions.

The whole Clan was buzzing with the news of these "pure hunters". Queens were hysterical with fear for their kits, who didn't quite care – forget ShadeClan warriors, now their target were pure hunters. They growled and clawed at each other play-furiously, causing the queens, of course, to become even more hysterical.

Thunderstar was yelling for order, it seemed, half the day as cats screeched in panic and murmured in doubt. When all were finally silent, Thunderstar spoke.

"We have two moons to be ready. I hope none of you would join these menaces or choose to give up our home, so we will fight. All mentors and apprentices need to focus even more than before on battle training, but we also need to have hunting patrols going, as usual."

He turned to the assembled cats. "StoneClan cats have been known for their strength for generations, and I hope you will not fail me." He took a breath. "Now, we have some apprentices that are in need of their warrior names. Windpaw, Juniperpaw?"

Wolfpaw watched with interest as the two siblings approached Thunderstar. Windpaw's eyes shone with hurt, and he knew he was thinking of Softpaw, who should have received her warrior name with them, although she was not related.

"Silversnow," Thunderstar called on Windpaw's mentor, "Are you satisfied that this apprentice is ready to become a warrior?"

Silversnow offered a dip of her head, and Thunderstar turned back to Windpaw. "StarClan, I call you to look down on this apprentice. He has worked hard to understand the ways of the warrior code, and I commend him to you as a warrior. Windpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend this clan, even at the cost of your life?"

His words were urgent. Windpaw looked at him and said firmly, "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name. From this day forward you shall be known as Windleaf. StoneClan welcomes you as a full warrior."

Thunderstar lept down from his rock to lick Windleaf's shoulder, and the newest warrior returned the gesture. Thunderstar murmured something into Windleaf's ear that Wolfpaw couldn't hear, and Windleaf's eyes shone with happiness and grief.

Thunderstar then turned to Juniperpaw, naming her Juniperfur. The two warriors stood proudly as the Clan chanted their names. "Windleaf! Juniperfur! Windleaf! Juniperfur!"

Wolfpaw half-heartedly joined them, then slipped out the entrance before Thunderstar could call him. He needed time alone.

Even since last night, his mind had been whirling with thoughts. Thoughts and questions. He hadn't been alone since then, with Tinypaw's incessant peppering of questions and Sunpaw's teasing pointed his way. He had tried to get away from the two, but they always seemed to follow, like drawn to him by a magnet.

A really, really _annoying_ magnet.

He told himself he was so shaken because of the white cats. Because of the danger to the forest, and the fact that Softpaw's words had been right, and the fact that he was supposed to do something about it.

But it really wasn't that.

What he was really shaken about was the fact that somebody from another Clan could have been so beautiful.

He was talking about Fernpaw, of course. The black she-cat. Bristlepaw was a medicine cat, which was a double no-no – like just one violation of the warrior code wasn't enough. As for Blazepaw... well, he supposed if he had to tolerate him, he would, but only until their quest was done.

And he was feeling guilty. Because from the instant he met Fernpaw, after Sunpaw had been taunting her, and all he saw in her eyes was understanding and forgiveness, he knew that he was in love with her.

_How can this be? Softpaw was my love. Not Fernpaw. I'm betraying her, and my own Clan. I can't love her, I can't. I just can't. It's not right._

He wandered StoneClan territory for a while, aimlessly, thoughtfully. If he heard any cats nearby he veered sharply away, exploring whole patches of territory he had never even known existed on the mountainous region of StoneClan. But the whole time, his mind was on one black she-cat whose emerald eyes wouldn't get out of his head.

A droplet of water fell on his head, and he looked up to see low-hanging, thundering stormclouds. He blinked. How had he not seen _those_ before? He needed to get back to camp.

He turned around and started bounding back to camp, his paws slapping against hard stone as he raced along – well, 'raced' as fast as his StoneClan-build would let him. He approached camp just as the rain started to pour. He growled irritably. Wetness made him annoyed.

Oh, his mind was still with Fernpaw. He had divided himself into two parts of him – the rational, practical side that was almost always dominant, and the free-caring, loving side of him that always stayed pushed in the corner. They were having a fierce debate, and he wasn't sure who would win.

Maybe they would both kill each other, and he'd die.

No, that wouldn't be good.

"Wolfpaw! Where were you? I was looking for you!" came a call. It was Thunderstar, of course; probably the only cat in the Clan who didn't hope that Wolfpaw had been lost in the storm. The silver tabby made his way through the pouring rain to glare at Wolfpaw.

"Get into the apprentice's den – there's shelter there," he said, almost yelling over the sound of the rain impacting the rocks around them. Wolfpaw just nodded and fought through the storm, finally entering the warm den. He gasped for breath, shaking his fur dry.

"Watch it, badger-brain!" came a snarl. Wolfpaw sent a glare towards Tinypaw, who was indignant at getting soaked by Wolfpaw's shake. He settled into his nest, the one in the furthest corner, closing his eyes as Sunpaw and Tinypaw started to share tongues with each other. At least they were being quiet.

Wolfpaw drifted off to sleep and dreamed of Fernpaw.

/\/\

**Aww! Cute last sentence. Do you like the insult I made up – badger-brain? Mouse-brain seems to fond for that situation, and I didn't know any other cat-insult that meant "stupid". So Blazepaw and Wolfpaw are in a bit of a bind... meanwhile Fernpaw is off eating a mouse, oblivious to the fact that two other-Clanners are in love with her. :D Poor them. Anyways, next chapter will be better and less... angst-y. But I need your help. In the next chapter, Bristlepaw will hear a story from Redstorm the elder about why the pure hunters have such a deep-seated hatred ****against the Clans. Do you want **

** a) the longer version, or**

** b) the short, straight and to-the-point version?**

** The difference is this: The "longer" version will have excerpts with actual written scenes from the past instead of Redstorm just telling them. It would look something like this. (But more eloquently written.)**

** /**

** "Redstorm said, "Four cats met in secret one night..."**

** /\/\**

_**A ginger tabby stepped into the clearing. His gaze focused on a black she-cat already sitting there, and he nodded his head. "Shadefur," he said respectfully.**_

_** "Flamestride. Why did you call me here?" she snapped.**_

_** "I could be asking the same thing," came a rumbling voice as a gray tom, Stonestep, appeared.**_

_** "Stonestep – all will be revealed once the fourth comes," said the ginger tom, Flamestride.**_

_** A dusty gray-brown tom appeared from the bushes, stuttering nervously, "Um-um-um is this the right place?"**_

_** "Yes, Dustleap. Now let me tell you what I've been thinking," Flamestripe said.**_

_** (etc. etc. etc. for a scene)**_

_** /\/\**_

_** /**_

** The same scene would look like this for the "short version". Again, it would be more eloquently written, but you get the picture.**

** /**

** Redstorm said, "Four cats met in secret one night. They were named Flamestride, Shadefur, Stonestep, and Dustleap. They planned to escape to rogues that had imprisoned the old Clans – LeafClan, NightClan, SnowClan, and CreekClan – and make four new Clans."**

** /**

** So tell me what you think. I already have the long version written out, but will gladly shorten it if you guys don't want to have, per say, "All the gory details". So I ****need you to review! ****Tell me what you think, popular sovereignty rules! :)**

** Thanks for reading!**

** ~Wilder**


	14. Beginnings

**So! I got pretty much an overwhelming response for the long version! Yayyy. :P I'm glad, because I already typed out the long version.**

** Redwolf: Thanks so much! That would be amazing of you! :D **

** And to everyone who commented about the 'love triangle' – yes. I didn't even think about it in those terms until I saw your guys' reviews. :D I just kinda had to for my benefit. Even if it doesn't last long (winkeh winkeh). 'Cuz since the beginning I had always pictured Fernpaw and Wolfpaw together, but then as I was writing it seemed like she fit better with Blazepaw. Ah well... maybe it will continue, maybe one side of it will be forced to die out. c:**

** Be warned – this chapter is a teensy bit violent! (But not anything to horrendous. Don't worry about it. I don't even know why I included this. I'll shut up now.)**

** –**

** p.s. (written much later) I know I took a rather extended writing hiatus, I considered putting in an author's note chapter but those always annoy me when I read them in other people's stories and discourage me from putting on story alert. I'm back now though, and hoping to get back into the cycle of writing!)**

/\/\

_Bristlepaw, you already know me, and you know what I am here for. You must find the other three._

_ Remember, Bristlepaw. Remember that you are the purest of all._

Bristlepaw woke with a start, the words of the black she-cat still echoing in her head. The sun was already shining through the medicine cat's den opening. She must have overslept.

Stonefeather confirmed her words as his head poked into the den. "Bristlepaw, you're finally awake. I didn't want to wake you, you looked exhausted from the Gathering. Can you check on Redstorm's joints? The cranky old tom has been complaining to no end."

"Yes, Stonefeather," Bristlepaw chanted obediently, grabbing the herb mixture she used for Redstorm. She made herself become more alert as the even-more-dim-than-usual sunlight caught her right in the eyes. Nearing leaf-fall, the sky had begun to get darker, more clouded.

Just how she – and most of ShadeClan – liked it.

Bristlepaw padded into the elder's den, pinpointing the ginger tom easily. The only other elders in the den were Breezewhisker, a gray tom, and Robinsong, a brown-and-white she-cat, Breezewhisker's brother. She padded up to Redstorm, dropping the bundle of herbs.

"Redstorm, I'm here to help with your joints."

"And it's about time," rasped the elder, peering at Bristlepaw through slitted eyes. "Well, hurry up then."

Bristlepaw started chewing the herbs into a poultice as Redstorm continued. "What's all the hubbub about the Gathering anyways? Some white cats? Sounds like a story, a rip-off of _my_ story."

Bristlepaw stopped chewing. "_Your_ story?"

Breezewhisker chuckled mildly. "It's not really _his. _He was the only one willing to memorize the whole long bit from Gorsetail, the last elder who knew it. Such an _old_ tale."

Bristlepaw turned to Redstorm. "Tell me. While I'm getting your poultice ready."

Redstorm raised his eyebrows at her brusque tone as Bristlepaw continued getting the herbs ready, her ears perked keenly towards his direction. "Well, to understand _my_ story you need to know the whole background. You see, long ago in a forest far away, there were four Clans, LeafClan, NightClan, SnowClan, and CreekClan. But a great group of rogues overtook the Clans. They combined all four into a 'OneClan', took away titles, forced the Clan cats to be their slaves. Many Clan cats went along with them, and were accepted into their ranks. But there were still a few resistors..."

/\/\

_The ginger-striped tom stepped into the moonlit clearing. His ears were perked for danger, eyes _flashing about nervously. If the others had come like he had told them to, they should be here by now.

"Flamestride." A cool mew came from the shadows as a black she-cat with glowing blue eyes slipped into the moon's bathing glow.

Flamestride nodded his head slightly to her. "Shadefur."

Shadefur only narrowed her eyes in return. "Why have you brought me here?"

"It seems we have the same questions," came a lower, rumbling voice. A stone-gray tom appeared, amber eyes glinting.

"Stonestep. I promise, all questions will be answered; we just have to wait for the last one."

"For StarClan's sake-" Shadefur started to hiss, and Flamestride and Stonestep immediately shushed her quiet.

"You know that name is now outlawed," Flamestride said softly.

"If this mysterious someone will just show up, maybe we could get past these awkward formalities," Shadefur finished her thought in a whisper.

"He's here," Flamestride said as a light brown tom made his appearance.

"Um-um- is this the wrong place, I think I'm in the wrong place-" the tom stuttered, and Shadefur rolled her eyes.

"Not Dustleap. Are you serious? He's, well, he's _CreekClan_," she said scornfully. Dustleap seemed to shrink even further, ears flattening onto his head.

"Stop. The reason I've called you here should be obvious." Flamestride started to pace around the three others. Shadefur rolled her eyes, but the other two toms were riveted by the ginger tom's dramatic procession.

"Shadefur, former warrior of NightClan."

Shadefur nodded, somewhat startled.

"Dustleap, former warrior of CreekClan."

Dustleap shifted awkwardly, looking anywhere but into Flamestride's green gaze.

"Stonestep, former _deputy_ of SnowClan.".

Stonestep flinched as the tom mentioned his former title, then nodded slowly.

Flamestride stopped in front of the three. "And me, Flamestride, former warrior of LeafClan."

Silence.

"Look well upon each other, because we are the next four leaders of the new Clans."

Silence met his words. Then an explosion of sound -

"Are you joking?" snarled Shadefur, obviously put-off, as Stonestep blinked hard in surprise and Dustleap trembled, murmuring "Oh no, not me, I couldn't ever-"

"Now listen," Flamestride said, causing them to fall quiet, "This blasted 'OneClan' is not how this is supposed to be. We've been betrayed and abused. Dustleap, I know you love your mate, Marshflower. Do you want her to continue being beaten and hurt by these rogues?"

Dustleap shook his head, determination finally flaming in his eyes.

"Go back to your previous camps. Find those still loyal to their Clans. We will escape, find a new forest, a new home. We will start new Clans – FlameClan, ShadeClan, StoneClan, and DustClan."

The other three cats nodded slowly.

"We understand," said Stonestep, wise amber eyes glowing.

"In one moon, on the full moon, we will make our escape. Be ready. Bring all the cats you can, kits to elders. Our leaders have been slain, but we will start anew."

Flamestride flicked his tail and disappeared into the shadows. Just as swiftly, the other three cats retreated to their _camps, minds racing with the news to tell their friends and family._

/\/\

"And one moon later, they made their escape. They didn't have enough cats to fight off the intruders, but they were fleet of foot enough to run. They travelled far until they reached this forest." Redstorm scowled in annoyance as a fly landed on his ear, flicking his ear away. "It was perfect. Mountains, forests, and wetlands. Cats were shifting Clans to follow lovers or for different tastes – in fact, only a few former SnowClan cats actually stayed with Stonestep - the same for every to-be leader. Allegiances were changing. But when the Clans, not yet totally formed, entered their perfect forest, they realized there was a problem. A large group of cats already inhabited the forest, and they were not about to give it up."

Bristlepaw listened keenly as she spread the poultice onto Redstorm's joints.

"They were a cruel, harsh group, calling themselves the 'pure hunters'. And they hated all cats who weren't white." Redstorm shrugged. "Sounds like folly to me, I know, but they had a terrible, twisted mindset. When the to-be leaders, Flamestride, Shadefur, Stonestep, and Dustleap, saw the horrible things that went on in the pure hunter's camp, they realized they had to defeat them. So they went to war."

Redstorm nodded, closing his eyes as a ray of sunshine fell on his pelt. "That feels good. Less and less sunshine these days. Leaf-fall's nearing..."

"Keep going," Bristlepaw urged, heart pounding. _This explains why the pure hunters hate the Clans..._

"Patience, missy. Erm, where was I? Oh yes, they went to war. It was a terrible battle, with heavy losses on both sides. It worked its way into a stalemate, until the four leaders managed to corner the pure hunter's leader, a vicious, bloodthirsty tom named Dyrus..."

/\/\

_Flamestride snarled, his fangs glinting, as he prowled closer to the _huge white tom. "Your time is up, Dyrus," he spat. "Too many cats have died because of you."

The tom's black eyes were harsh, unforgiving, unafraid. "So you think."

Stonestep and Shadefur were both bleeding heavily, but neither of them showed any exhaustion as they joined Flamestride, approaching Dyrus from both sides.

"You think that you are so pure?" came a spat as Dustleap, all former hesitation gone, stepped forward, glaring harshly at the tom. "Let us show you how a real warrior fights!"

It was the cue. Immediately, all four cats sprang at Dyrus. The white tom fell under the combined weight of all four cats, but was immediately back on his feet, hissing and clawing. Shadefur latched onto the tom's back, gripping his spine with her teeth and raking her claws down the sides of his pelt. Dustleap used his small size to his advantage as he darted under Dyrus' paws and clawed at his belly, while Flamestride and Stonestep attacked from opposite sides.

With a might jerk, Dyrus threw Shadefur off his back. The she-cat flew into a large, vertical stone and crumpled soundlessly. With a shriek, Flamestride flung himself at Dyrus, clawing the tom's face multiple times. Dyrus stumbled back as Dustleap squirmed out from underneath him.

Dyrus was bleeding heavily and panting for breath. His eyes were wide and terrified as he realized that this was the end. "No," he said hoarsely, his claws sinking into the earth. He tried to turn and run but behind him was tightly weaved brambles, unyielding and unescapable.

He turned back to the three toms stalking closer. "No," he said again, "I will not die without taking you with me!"

With a roar, he launched himself at Flamestride. He sent a huge, block-sized paw towards the ginger tom's head, the impact throwing him against a tree. The flame-colored tom fell to the ground, and Dyrus hesitated for a split second as he looked at the unmoving body.

A split second was all Dustleap needed.

With a screech, Dustleap threw himself onto Dyrus' back. Dyrus thrashed wildly, but he had taken too long. Dustleap sunk his teeth into Dyrus' neck, and the huge white tom started to crumpled.

But in one last spasm, he jerked Dustleap off his back and clawed desperately at the brown cat's neck.

Stonestep shot forward, but Dyrus was already dead. His eyes glazed over as his body went still and cold. Stonestep stood still in shock.

They had done it.

But at what price?

He looked up frantically. To his relief, Shadefur was picking herself up from the ground where Dyrus had flung her. Flamestride remained unmoving, but Stonestep could see his pelt faintly moving up and down with breath.

"Dustleap, you did it," Stonestep said breathlessly. Dustleap didn't acknowledge his comment.

"Dustleap-" Stonestep stopped in horror as he saw Dustleap. The brown tom was standing, eyes unfocused, breathing ragged as his legs wobbled. Blood poured from the wound in his neck and the wounds from his sides.

Time seemed to slow as Dustleap crumpled and collapsed.

"Dustleap!" Stonestep whispered in disbelief. As he said the name, a small tortoiseshell she-cat flew into the clearing. Her eyes focused on Dustleap and she froze.

"No, Dustleap!" cried Marshflower, running to her mate's side. Dustleap was breathing raggedly. His eyes struggled to stay open.

"Stay with me, Dustleap," Marshflower whispered, her voice raw with grief. "You're okay. You're going to be okay, we need you to be the leader-"

"Marshflower," rasped Dustleap, "It's okay. It's my time to go."

Marshflower squeezed her eyes shut in grief. "DustClan will be the greatest Clan in the forest, Dustleap, you'll see."

"No, not DustClan." Marshflower looked at her dying mate in disbelief. "MarshClan. You will be a greater leader than I ever could have been, Marshflower. Lead your Clan well."

Stonestep lowered his head as Dustleap stopped breathing and went still. Marshflower started to cry as Shadefur padded over, sitting close to her and trying to comfort the distraught young she-cat. Flamestride lifted his head slowly, blinking away his pain. He stood slowly, padding towards Marshflower, Shadefur and Stonestep.

"We did it. The forest is ours," he said. Marshflower nodded.

"Dustleap made a great sacrifice. He will always be remembered," Shadefur whispered to Marshflower. "Now, keep his memory alive. Make MarshClan great."

Through the canopy of trees _above, sunshine broke through, falling onto the four leaders. As Flamestride, Shadefur, Stonestep, and Marshflower looked at each other, they realized that Dustleap's sacrifice had saved their Clans._

/\/\

_ "_All four Clans mourned for Dustleap before they finally split up, bidding tearful farewells to their friends and – sometimes – even family. Flamestar, Shadestar, Stonestar, and Marshstar became the first four leaders of FlameClan, ShadeClan, StoneClan, and MarshClan. The rest of the pure hunters were chased out, far away. They were assumed to have disbanded. But now, _apparently_, they're back." Redstorm's last comment was almost irritated.

Bristlepaw didn't say anything for a while.

"Well, all that talking has made me tired. I'm off to sleep," Redstorm said abruptly, setting his head down.

Breezewhisker chuckled, breaking Bristlepaw out of her trance. "Quite a story, eh?" he said. "He gave you the shorter version. To a lot of cat's he'll go on and on and on about every single detail of the battle, every pure cat's name – I've almost got it memorized, thanks to the amount of times he's told it." He grinned at the medicine cat's apprentice. "For instance, did you know that Dyrus' mate escaped? And she had kits. She was the only one of the pure hunters to get out of there alive."

"Do you know what the kit's names were?" Bristlepaw questioned.

Breezewhisker scrunched up his nose. "I know old Redstorm said this one time. Um... I think they called them Colt, the white tom, and Noose, the white she-cat." He nodded, looking to his sister, Robinsong, for confirmation. "Right?"

"How should I know?" the cranky she-cat grumbled. "Those sound right. Yes, no, I don't know."

Breezewhisker chuckled. Bristlepaw gave an amused grin. "Thank you, Breezewhisker. And when Redstorm wakes up, tell him I said thanks to him, too."

"Thanks? That's it? No, '_Redstorm, I'll make sure the apprentices bring you the freshest moss in the forest for your bedding for telling me that long and tiring story?' _No, _'Thank you from the depths of my soul, Redstorm, I'll bring you the choicest prey in the forest?' _None of that?"

Bristlepaw laughed as she flicked her tail at the ginger elder who, apparently, hadn't actually been sleeping. She bounded out of the elder's den, waving her tail goodbye to Breezewhisker.

At least she knew something. Why these pure hunters had such a deep-seated hatred towards the Clans. And... and... Colt and Noose. Could it be possible that they were ancestors of the white hunter's leader? Kestian? She shook her head. Too many variables. But it was information, information that should have made her heart feel lighter, better off.

Instead, she began to feel pure terror. The four great leaders of the original Clans could barely fight off one of the pure hunters. What were four apprentices going to do about a whole _army_ of them, bent on revenge? Her heart sunk lower and lower as she sat, watching the cats around her bustle about life, completely oblivious to the danger that surrounded them.

_What good will being 'purest of all' do me?_


End file.
